


Certain Things Rearrange and This Whole World Seems Like a New Place

by barspoon



Series: The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Drama, Friendship, Humor, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-31
Updated: 2014-01-31
Packaged: 2018-01-10 16:19:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 25,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1161888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/barspoon/pseuds/barspoon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This story has been translated into Chinese. The link is on my profile.</p><p>This is an appendix to my story 'Things Just Ain't the Same...'. It's a collection of vignettes from the point of view of various other characters mentioned in the story. It gives details and answers questions that can't be told in the main story. Trust me, you won't understand what's going on in these stories unless you read the corresponding chapter to the main fic. And sometimes it's vice-versa...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Jezebel

Jezebel stood at her window to gaze out at the moon just beginning to rise over the horizon, idly tracing the line of her collarbone and simply enjoying the feel of her long blonde hair tickling the length of her naked form. She honestly didn't give a rat's ass if anyone walking by happened to look up and see her there. Hell, the only people who hadn't seen her naked at some point or another were the ones who didn't live in the shithole of a village, and chances were high that they'd get a look at her if they stayed long enough, anyway.

A small gasp drew her pale blue eyes down, though she didn't move her head. It gave the impression that she was looking down upon the people below, the way an empress might grace a trembling peasant with a vague offhanded curiosity. The older woman's expression of open disgust shifted to surprise as she met Jezebel's eyes before she swiftly scurried away. A subtle smirk pulled at the blonde's lips as she let her eyes follow the retreating figure.

Considering the seedy underhanded nature of the small town, it never ceased to amuse her that there were people living there who believed they could pass themselves off as prudish upstanding citizens. Or that they had the gall to attempt to vilify _her._ Her body was hers to do with as she pleased, and it pleased her to do whatever she wanted with it. She made a mental note to corner the escaping woman in the public bath as soon as possible, that woman was in dire need of a good back massage. After all, those old bones weren't getting much attention anymore since the old hag had poisoned her husband three months ago...

With a sigh, Jezebel returned her gaze to the rising moon and let her smile fall. He wasn't coming. She'd known he wouldn't show the instant he'd turned and walked away from her, but she waited regardless. She would wait for an hour after the moon began caressing the sky in all her full glory, and she would wait an hour longer than that. He'd looked like the type to show up late so he could use it as an excuse for not following through. Still, in her heart she knew he was probably miles away, and he would not come to her if she waited an eternity.

She licked her lips in sensuous regret, trailing her fingers down her chest in random little curving patterns as she recalled the lean rangy muscles that had tensed and trembled ever so slightly at her touch. Such a pity. Coming across a truly tortured soul was an exceptionally rare treat, and that man had _wanted_ her. The hands of an assassin, soaked in the blood of god only knew how many dead souls, had slid through her hair with such gentle hesitant desire. He had _needed_ her.

Drawing a lazy circle around her navel, she tilted her head and took a deep breath of the spring air. She had heard enough men and women claim to be tortured souls to know the real thing when she saw it. The fakes enjoyed the torture, though they'd never admit it. They bathed in it with avaricious self-pity, radiating their woes like a foul stench that clung to their skin. They used it to their every advantage, excusing all the debauchery and sin they delighted in wallowing in because 'they were tortured souls'. It made no difference to her, they paid the same and some of them could be downright entertaining.

But the real thing... Jezebel closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself, shivering at the image of that magnificent creature with hair as silver as the moonlight and a dark eye that had frantically tried to hide the hunger growling under his skin. Oh, how delicious _the real thing_ could be. Howling and ravenous, whispering and snarling and calling someone else's name, tender and passionate, dragging the devil out of her own soul until his demons were calmed by the fires that consumed them both.

Opening her eyes, she considered the man thoughtfully. His torture had not been borne of grief, nor of coveting someone that belonged to another, and the darkness he carried wasn't that of an unpalatable deviant nature. That much she had been able to clearly see. It had been a ripping tearing wound, pulling him apart because the one he wanted was _already his._ A friend, probably. Someone close enough to touch, and precious enough to keep his hands firmly in his pockets while he fooled himself into thinking he didn't want what was right in front of him.

Jezebel whispered a prayer to the moon and blew a kiss to the wind so her words would be carried to the sun at dawn. If the Fates would not show him mercy by letting him warm her bed, then perhaps they could grant it to him in the bed of another. She chuckled impishly and drummed her fingertips along her hip as she recalled the specific things that had drawn the shinobi's eye.

...preferably tangled up in the long legs of a blonde with blue eyes and a bright smile...


	2. Rook

It was the sound of a human screaming and babbling in that strange nonsensical language they had that woke the rook from his pleasant slumber. He popped his head up and ruffled his black feathers in agitation from his perch on the branch above the fork in the narrow game trail. Silly human. Warbling his displeasure, he gazed down at the wingless creature.

He could see it clearly as it writhed on the ground and continued to make an inane fuss. The moon was nearly full, rising high over the treetops and flooding the landscape in silver light that was almost as bright as day. Something was obviously wrong with it, and the rook cocked his head with a bit more interest.

Its breathing was ragged and gasping, and its movements sluggish and weak. It was sick. Dying, most likely. It couldn't even stand, wobbling on all fours the way most land-bound creatures did when they were just learning to walk. Foolish things.

That was really the only redeeming quality that humans had; their somewhat evolved ability to walk upright the proper way. It was too bad they were still so primitive with their flightless clumsy bodies. This one also appeared to have the same pitiful lack of intelligence as all the other humans he'd ever seen, as it simply would not shut the hell up even though there wasn't another human there for it to communicate with.

The rook considered following it as it got up and took a few unsteady steps forward. It would be fairly interesting to see what happened when... Huh, that was unexpected. It appeared to be heading for the left fork in the path, even though it was the more difficult one. A brush of wind flipped a few of the rook's smaller feathers up, and the bird shuffled and settled his wings.

Glancing sharply between the trudging back of the human disappearing in the trees and the right fork of the path, the rook dropped off his perch and glided down the right fork. Humans were such strange unpredictable things, which was probably why they seemed to always have an abundance of Luck. Ah well, he was awake anyway, and feeling a bit hungry. The bear just might be asleep with her cubs by now, and, even if she wasn't, the deer she'd slaughtered earlier that evening on the game trail should be spread out and easily accessible.


	3. Tsunade

Tsunade was starting to get worried. She didn't want to admit it or think about it too much because _there was no reason to worry!_ The mission she'd sent Kakashi on was a difficult one, but it was the subterfuge, political delicacy, confidentiality, and time-consuming nature of it that made it S-rank. It really wasn't a particularly dangerous assignment in a life-threatening kind of way, especially not for someone as skilled as the Jounin. Damn it! So, why was she worried?!

She felt her eye twitching as she clenched her fists at her sides and glared at the irascible stubborn young man glaring right back at her. _And why the hell was that impudent little brat exacerbating the situation?! There was no fucking reason to worry!_ Her conviction and faith in Kakashi had to remain unwavering. She was the Hokage! She could not give in to this irrational bout of concern for a man that could easily replace her simply because the thick-headed blonde demon standing in her office wouldn't stop staring at her with the weight of the world burning behind his eyes!

Shizune's interruption was a godsend, both for her building temper and for the safety of her office structure in general. Naruto wasn't going to leave this time without the both of them dishing out some serious collateral damage. She barked out some ridiculous order and turned on her heel to read the paper Shizune had handed her, focusing on the words just to try to distract herself. She wasn't going to be able to hold out against Naruto's demands much longer, not when he was this frightened. He was far too attached to that man. It was unhealthy.

The header at the top of the page was what made her heart stop. The Tea Country Daimyo's seal? Her eyes flew over the paper, reading just enough to get her heart stumbling into a gut-wrenchingly painful sprint. It was an autopsy and interrogation summary, the mission had been a complete success. Where was Kakashi?! All but a small group of underlings had been apprehended. _Where was Kakashi?!_ An apology for the report taking a week to get there, but there had been an unanticipated delay concerning the unidentified men found at the scene. _**Where was Kakashi?!**_

The brief autopsy report at the bottom made her want to vomit, but it had nothing to do with the curt details of how the unknown men had died. It had everything to do with what they'd had in their possession, and where they had apparently come from. The saboteurs she'd sent him to deal with used poison as their mainstay, but it was all derived from ingredients local to that area. That was why she'd been able to make a basic antidote that would secure his safety across the border!

 _An antidote that was not designed to be used in conjunction with_ _ **any**_ _of the poisons found West of the Fire Country!_ The possibility of him still being alive with the effects of combining those pills and that poison were-

... _ **oh my god, what have I done?!**_ _... She'd killed Kakashi!_ She'd sent him out there to die just like Jiraiya! He was taking that 'medicine', and she was putting him through a slow agonizing death! It was her fault! By her own hands! And there was no way of finding him in time if he was still-

"Baa-chan!" Naruto's voice pleaded furiously behind her, snapping her out of her spiraling panic.

She stared wide-eyed at the reflection in the glass window, gold eyes over her shoulder radiating strength and an unbreakable will. If anyone could do it, he could, and she latched onto that hope with all the force she had in her being.

"Naruto!" Tsunade barked, steeling herself for whatever outcome would land on her doorstep in the next few days. "I'm sending you Southeast, toward the Tea Country peninsula."

"What?! I'm not leavi-"

"Head South, damn you!" She spun around, the sting of tears in her enraged eyes and an edge of desperation to her voice that she couldn't suppress. "Find that fool and bring him back alive!"

He stared at her with wide eyes, momentarily as still as a frozen pond. Then it was like a wildfire ignited from within him, consuming him completely in a flash of golden light as he vanished. Tsunade rubbed her arms and glanced at Shizune, her skin tingling at the force of all that chakra.

"Sakura's working on it," Shizune said, scratching at her own arms unconsciously. "They sent a sample of the poison with the main report, which should be completely decoded within the hour for you."

"Good," she nodded, sinking down into her chair and reading the summary with more attention. "Have Hiroshi's team on standby in the hospital for her use. Also, send out an ANBU squad to retrieve the bodies the Tea Country has in storage for us, we need to get them here for our own examination as soon as possible."

Shizune left quickly, and Tsunade pulled out a stack of clean paper from a drawer in her desk. The summary had called the unknown men smugglers, negotiating an agreement to use a sea port for their business. She knew she'd get more detail from the main report, but she had a very good idea as to what they were planning on smuggling. Picking up her pen, she began writing out the first draft of the letter she would send to Iwa and Suna the moment those bodies were in her possession.

It would undoubtedly take her several drafts before she had the wording perfect, and it had to be _perfect._ She would not be denied her 'request' to get involved in the efforts of the Kazekage and Tsuchikage to take down the human trade ring plaguing them. Not when the filthy bastards were threatening to pull that shit on _her_ turf!


	4. Kurama

Kurama had to admit to himself that he was somewhat pleased with how things had turned out, though he wasn't entirely satisfied with the situation just yet. The fact that Kakashi had managed to pull himself together in time for Tsunade to kick him out the door as Naruto's retrieval unit was a large part of why he was feeling more settled. He had neither liked nor trusted the Iwa shinobi who had passed through. Their underlying dislike of him made him restless, but what truly pissed him off was the way they had looked at Naruto as if he was expendable.

He flicked an ear in remembered aggravation, lifting his chin to gaze out at the mountains while Naruto stepped up to the open window of the teahouse. Expendable?! Who the fuck did they think they were dealing with?! Some flittering wispy little forest fox spirit trapped inside a wilting delicate butterfly?! Those pompous jackasses were more worthless and expendable than a used tissue! He snorted and swished his tails, dismissing the Iwa shinobi from his mind completely.

The Suna shinobi had been only slightly more tolerable because they had something of a vague loyalty to Naruto. It most likely stemmed from his efforts in saving Gaara, and while it had helped, it had been a detached loyalty borne of a sense of duty. It wasn't the same personal respect that the Konoha shinobi tended to regard the blonde with, and it had been highly irritating to only have one of them swing through for a few days during their second week at the ryokan. Damn that Tsunade! She could have sent more than just one representative over the past few weeks, if only to spare his stress levels.

While he could inherently sense all emotions, it was the negative ones that itched and prickled at his fur, buzzing in his ears and scratching behind his eyes. Positive emotions had become more like a neutral constant; only there to provide a blank canvas for the cold, dark and bloody colors of malignance, hatred and evil that ripped and tore at his nerves until he couldn't take it anymore and he was forced to raze the whole contaminated area into nothing but clean white ash.

It was only in the last two years that Kurama had begun to see a slightly wider range of color, a palette he'd thought long lost and forgotten several centuries ago. Unfortunately, the spectrum was limited and still fairly blank outside Naruto's familiar - and infuriatingly persistent - whirl of warmer colors. He wasn't accustomed to sitting in the sun, and he slept to ease his boredom as well as rest his eyes from the blinding light.

The problem was, for the last three weeks he hadn't been able to sleep _at all._ Being awake constantly meant he was also constantly exposed to even the lesser negativity he would normally sleep through, and dealing with Masato all the fucking time inundated him with a disgusting amount of darkness. It made him hypersensitive to all the rest of it, and his only sanctuary keeping him from being swallowed up and lashing out was Naruto's steady warm presence. A presence that seemed to have the most disturbing effect of drawing him in, and actually made him want to look for more colors outside the array within his contained world.

It made him feel irrationally possessive of the curiosity that was, essentially, his mortal human cage. It was still a bizarrely pleasant concept that Naruto regarded him as a comrade, and he'd accepted that childish sentiment the only way he could; by agreeing to trust and protect him for the brief span of time they would be together. They had a binding contract, and because the very nature of the mission they were on went against that contract, he was simply on edge.

Naruto was deliberately and calculatingly throwing himself in harm's way, and Kurama had to help him do it. Add to that the fact that - out of the several shinobi who had been sent to 'watch out for Naruto' - there had only been one person who had given off some semblance of a protective aura that spoke of flashing kunai, and the fox had been feeling decidedly waspish until last night. He grunted a short chuckle at himself, having been just as surprised as Naruto at the sight of the silver-haired Jounin sitting in the teahouse.

He'd been expecting the wood-wielder to replace the Suna shinobi, and he hadn't bothered to stretch his senses out beyond the putrid shithole that was Masato. Not only had he been startled at just seeing Kakashi, but the amount of relief that came with it had also been a bit of a shock. He'd attributed it to Naruto's ecstatic reaction, and the blessed knowledge that he wouldn't have to put up with Yamato's itchy trigger finger. The colors of joy were still practically dripping down the walls of his subconscious.

Though he'd only started to recognize and see the warmer colors of positive emotions, he couldn't help but sense an odd shift in the young man's palette from it's usual eye-bleeding splash of radiant chaos. He shook his head and turned his thoughts back to Kakashi as he spied the man at the edge of the trees, pausing along the path that led to the ryokan as he looked up at the teahouse. While Naruto trusted the Jounin implicitly, Kurama wasn't as easily convinced.

Yes, he trusted the man to do his best, to do his duty. However, there was a subtle sort of hesitation in his eye now, and the fox couldn't discern what the real source of it was. He didn't believe it was a lack of wanting to protect Naruto, but any hesitation could be catastrophic regardless of the reason-

An abrupt sensation of malicious savagery bit at him, interrupting his thoughts and jolting him up to sit on his haunches with wide eyes. It was seething with a controlled feral bloodlust, possessive and crouched in the shadows as tense as a coiled spring waiting to be released. Kurama blinked, a sudden understanding of his confusing relief from last night hitting him as Naruto left the window at Maia's call.

Whether he could see the Jounin or not didn't matter, because the fox could still see the glinting of a blade honed down to a razor's edge, quietly snarling fangs flashing in the dark, and the burgundy shades of blood in the moonlight. He could feel the itching down his spine that made his fur bristle, but the typical burning, buzzing, clawing, enraging, foul cloying sensation wasn't there to drag him under. It was an unfamiliar and yet familiar feeling of being back to back with another predator, both guarding the same thing.

He was almost sad when the sensation drifted away and walled itself off. Considering his interest was now piqued, he wasn't surprised to find himself watching Kakashi closely when Naruto bumped into him later on in the hallway of the ryokan. What he _was_ surprised about was the slight change in stride the Jounin made as he walked away, neatly blocking Naruto from being seen by the other man farther down the hall while the blonde stiffened and damn near dropped the linens in his arms.

It just kept getting more and more intriguing as the day went on, and he narrowed his eyes to watch them both carefully while they were in the garden. Kakashi's growling animosity at Masato's presence was sharp and shaded in dark violent colors, an echo of which he could feel whispering in Naruto under the surface. The freesia comment had him almost gaping at the pair. And if Kakashi's continued ire boiling in him even after Masato had left was the icing on the cake, then Naruto's stomping on the man's foot while he shouted several choice obscenities in his subconscious and absently scratched at his ear as if he could somehow remove the feeling of having the rose stuck there was the cherry on top.

Kurama had to fight the urge to outright laugh in wicked delight at the scene unfolding in front of him. He scrolled through his memory, putting little pieces together and working out the possibility of getting the entire puzzle completed sometime in the near future. It was still tentative, still fragile and easily scattered to the wind. That is, until Naruto began complaining about feeling 'weird' after Masato gave him the crystal and tried to cast an unsavory genjutsu on him.

Knowing full well that the genjutsu had no effect on the young man, Kurama started worrying about the crystal and how Masato hadn't touched it with his bare hands. Naruto wanted to know what the genjutsu had been, but the fox had no intention of telling him it had been a series of rather illicit subliminal images that were supposed to make him start thinking about getting into Masato's pants. That would ruin everything.

When Naruto ran into Kakashi, only to immediately turn and run _away_ in horrified embarrassment, Kurama tipped his head back and just roared with laughter. Much to Naruto's enraged confusion, the fox simply shook his head and continued to refuse to tell the blonde what the genjutsu had been. Instead he prompted the blonde to just focus on getting into Kakashi's room as soon as possible so the Jounin could fix the problem. The suggestion brought an even darker blush and a string of vile curses from the young man until Kurama very innocently said he thought Kakashi would probably have some kind of medicinal antidote to counteract the drug.

Curling his tails around his feet, Kurama snickered and watched the kaleidoscope ripple across the walls.

...sorry boys, but you two are so completely and totally fucked...


	5. Eito

Eito's shadow clone had to admit that the kunoichi was good as he walked up to the mercenary - whatever the fuck his name was - who had the woman slung over his shoulder. He hadn't sensed her chakra until the pair had entered the clearing, and it took quite a bit of skill to pull that off with him even if he only had half his normal amount of chakra. The fact that she also seemed to be transformed was a bit of a surprise, because that hinted at a large store of chakra she was hiding so adeptly.

He circled around, sizing her up and wondering what she really looked like as he gripped her chin to lift her face. It was too bad, really, the bitch had a stunning transformation even with the odd markings on her cheeks. Perfect, in fact, for a special request they'd gotten recently. Arai was going to be pissed. Still, there was some consolation that they might at least get needed information out of her concerning the shitstorm that had happened in the Tea Country. It was vital that they find out if their men had been identified, and if so, they needed to know if Konoha had jumped in bed with Iwa and Suna.

"A lovely piece," Eito said before letting go and nodding at his brother's clone to signal a need to clean up. "Pay them. This one is worth the price."

As soon as the lithe body was settled over his shoulder, he pulled out a syringe and stabbed it into the kunoichi's calf to ensure she'd be completely unconscious before they left. He was already starting to drain her chakra, which would leave her out cold soon enough, but there was no point in taking chances. Rolling his eyes at his brother's extremely messy way of 'cleaning up', he dispassionately eyed the bodies falling to the ground in wide sprays of blood as they were eviscerated. The price for bringing in damaged goods was the loss of a limb, but the price for bringing in a shinobi was death.

He turned his attention back to the kunoichi, something nagging at the back of his mind at the subtle odd feel of her chakra. It wasn't enough to concern him a great deal, it was just a bit off the mark of what he'd been expecting. His concentration broke for a moment as she struggled weakly and surged her chakra, making the hairs on his arms stand on end. Fuck, how much stamina did the bitch have?! Jin was going to have to seal her up tight at this rate, and he was not looking forward to that tedious ritual taking longer than the last time he had to sit through that boring ass bullshit.

"Aren't you a feisty one," Eito said, digging his nails into her leg to resume leeching away the blonde's chakra. "And here I thought this was what you wanted, little shinobi."

When her transformation finally dropped in a haze of smoke, he stared at the legs he was gripping in shock. Well, that might account for her odd chakra, because she wasn't a _'her'_ at all! The plump breasts that had been pillowed against his back were gone, as well as any kind of feminine curvature to the frame draped over his shoulder. Fucking hell, this sucked! Not only was he going to be stuck in a god damn cave with Jin and that disgusting pet of his brother's for another week, but he wasn't even going to have the option of looking at some female company because Saburo was taking the two girls they'd picked up a few days ago with him!

It didn't help that he was _still draining this stupid fucker's chakra!_ He could feel his head starting to buzz with a high, his senses stretching out like spiderwebs flying on the breeze. They needed to get going before the overabundance of chakra ended up dispelling him. He looked impatiently at his brother's clone, who was bundling up his collection of severed limbs into a bag slung over his shoulder. The shinobi's escort would be along sooner or later, and he needed some time to mask their trail before they reached Jin's summoning seal a few miles away.

"You've got bad taste in women," Saburo said as they finally started leaping their way through the tree branches. "That's kind of an ugly chick."

"...that's because she's a man," Eito said flatly after an irritated pause.

"Oh. Well, then you've got good taste in men, cause he's kind of a pretty guy."

"Will you please just shut the fuck up," he growled. Seriously, this whole situation couldn't possibly get any worse...


	6. Sai

Sai had been following orders, just like he was trained to do. He had been following orders. He had! If questioned, he would have been able to say truthfully that he had been within an acceptable patrol distance of the Land of Fire's border. The uncomfortable feeling of what he'd come to recognize as 'guilt' did not dissuade him from convincing himself that using semantics in that particular situation was also an acceptable act. He had been ordered to patrol the border, he had not been specifically told which side of the border he was supposed to stay on. He had been following orders.

There was some - was 'consolation' the right word? - to the fact that he had stayed within the Land of Fire for five days, moving his patrol slowly and steadily in a wider arc across the border on the sixth day. It was perfectly logical in a preventative sense, because he could see any trouble coming before it actually reached the border. Time continued to pass as he mulled over the complex web of logic he was weaving while he swallowed his guilt and flew just a little farther away from the border each day.

Why wasn't he seeing one of Kakashi's ninken yet? It had been a long enough time, hadn't it? In the back of his mind he knew it had hardly been any longer than it needed to be, and yet it had been far too long. It was confusing, not being able to distinguish the proper length of time it was supposed to take for him to acknowledge and accept his...worry? That was the correct word, right? Kakashi had said it himself when he'd left, he'd said to stop worrying.

It had, surprisingly, helped quite a bit for the first few days, but now things seemed to feel much worse. Or perhaps his perception was off because he had no basis for comparison with this particular situation. When the ink falcon he'd sent with the Jounin for childish reasons he was still trying to accurately define arrowed its way to a fluttering halt in front of him, it was...frightening? Yes, that was a good word to use. Perhaps not in a life-threatening sense, but it was still a valid descriptor.

The fact that Kakashi had needed to use it in the first place meant his mission had not gone smoothly, and he had possibly lost his entire pack of ninken. Or, on a more worrisome level - because surely this was an acceptable time to worry? - he was currently using his ninken, which meant Sai needed to get there as soon as possible since he was the only back-up the Jounin had. He didn't know what he was going to find as he turned his hawk to follow the falcon back the way it had come, and he certainly didn't intend to imagine scenarios that appeared to cause him even more worry. He only wanted to prepare himself for a variety of situations so his response time would be swift.

When he turned the corner of the mountain and spotted his comrades below, he was astonished at the amount of - 'relief' was certainly the right word this time - he felt. He had not been expecting that kind of reaction in himself, which only made the startling set of realizations he had as he neared the ground all the more powerful. First was the understanding of the word 'epiphany'. It was a romanticized word that he felt people chose to use in place of simply saying they'd come to a logical conclusion. Except he actually felt that the specific term of 'epiphany' was what was happening to him due to the second realization that accompanied it.

The phrase 'heart-stopping' was a quaint one, and though it was completely unrealistic and highly exaggerated it did help him comprehend the level of emotion people would try to describe to him. He had never thought he would actually experience a sensation, outside of death, that he could truly label as a heart-stopping moment. So, when the two figures remained motionless - lifeless - as he guided the hawk to the ground, and he saw that Kakashi was holding Naruto in a manner that seemed entirely out of the scope of how he'd come to understand the man's character, and also should have had the younger shinobi making an excessive amount of noise about how unpleasant the situation was, struggling to get away, just... _reacting in general,_ but he wasn't because he looked unconscious - dead -, he had an epiphany while it literally felt as if his heart stopped.

He didn't wait for the hawk to land properly before leaping off its back and pelting his way to a skidding halt on his knees next to those two very important people that he _did not want to die!_ And they weren't dead - yet -, they were still alive! Except it wasn't making him feel a whole lot better because Naruto had scratches on his face that looked badly infected - which was, of course, _impossible_ due to his healing abilities -, struggling to breathe with a shallow wet raspy sound that was all too familiar to Sai. Naruto was drowning in his own blood, staining his lips red, and Kakashi was grimacing and fighting to lift a slightly shaky arm. They were in very bad shape - dying -, and he just wanted to know what had happened!

"Three bodies inside," Kakashi said, his voice sounding gravelly as he gripped the front of Sai's vest. "One dead, one dying, and one alive. We have to bring them back. Also, send this message out to the Kages along with this location: 'Kuro no Oka', and the name 'Arai'."

"Understood," Sai nodded, fairly satisfied that his voice sounded so calm in his ears, because reflex and training were already kicking in as he mentally worked out how to perform the task set for him.

"Hey, check it out," Kakashi chuckled as his hand dropped back to the ground. Sai blinked and listened silently, because that's what you do when the light starts to fade from your friend's eye. "It took me almost ten days...but I got him back in one piece...Sakura won't have to rip my arms off, now..."

Sai paused, wondering if he should reply when it was clear that Kakashi was unconscious. He decided against it. There wasn't any time to be wasted, and he had to get them back to Konoha as quickly as he was able. Making an ink clone was the most efficient course of action to deal with the bodies inside the cave while he attended to the puzzle of how to get Kakashi and Naruto onto the hawk without injuring them further. Admittedly, he wasn't very physically strong, but he was certain he'd be able to lift Naruto by himself, at least.

He had only just begun to carefully pull him off Kakashi's chest when he had another highly unanticipated epiphany: Kakashi was very attached to Naruto, and cared a great deal about his well-being. While Sai was aware of the bonds between the two, he was still working on understanding the complexity of what the word 'bond' signified in general. It had become clear to him over the last few years that the word 'bond' meant vastly different things for each individual, and that one person could so easily define the word in different contexts concerning each bond they shared. Even more confounding was that the person on the other end would have yet another definition for that same bond.

Due to the circumstances, he had to conclude that he had neglected to notice something quite significant somewhere along the way which made him severely misjudge the strength of the bond from Kakashi's perspective. It wasn't easy trying to make sense of all the nuances of human emotions, even in a normal setting. However, it was excruciatingly difficult trying to figure it out when there were fingers gripping his throat, and a thumb digging into his windpipe threatening to crush it while he cringed at a mismatched pair of savage eyes staring right through him without a hint of recognition.

Very slowly, Sai took his hands off Naruto and lifted them up in surrender, spots dancing in his vision as he tried to calm his heart down so it wouldn't use up what little oxygen he had left in a system that was currently not getting any more to keep it going. The grip relaxed its hold, and Kakashi again sagged into...'unconsciousness' was obviously not the correct term, so Sai settled for 'a state of semi-awareness without lucidity' as he sat back on his heels and choked in air. Well, this was going to make getting the pair of them safely on the back of his hawk a strenuous exercise in strategic planning...


	7. Iruka

Iruka wandered aimlessly through Konoha. He still had a little while before he needed to report to the Mission Assignment Desk for his afternoon shift, and he wanted to take that time to clear his head. He was worried about Naruto. Rubbing the back of his neck with a helpless chuckle, he turned off the main road and let his feet take him wherever they led. Well, there certainly wasn't anything new about that, worrying about the blonde had become as much of a second nature to him as scolding the young man was. He couldn't help it when it _wasn't_ warranted, and since Naruto had been brought back with such a terrible injury it gave him all the more reason to.

He scratched his arm and turned down a seldom used path through the trees. Seeing Naruto's life hanging by a thread was still giving him nightmares, even though the young man was well on his way to recovery. Logically, his worry should be starting to calm down now that the blonde's life was securely out of danger, but injuries like that and the circumstances surrounding them tended to leave wounds that went deeper than anything a medical nin could heal with skill alone. Still, Naruto wasn't the type to let even that hold him down for long, and Iruka knew he'd pull through just fine.

Unfortunately, none of that logic kept him from worrying. Something had been seriously bothering Naruto that morning. Something he didn't want to talk about. Normally the young man was open and often rudely direct about what he was thinking or feeling, but when he held it in there was simply no prying the information out of him no matter what. In that situation the only thing to do was sit there and talk at him, then wait till he'd figured enough out to give voice to his troubles.

He sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets, wishing he could just turn the blonde upside-down and shake it out of him like he used to back in the Academy when he was relieving the young prankster of his hidden tools of trade. Iruka smiled warmly at the memory, then laughed quietly to himself at the ridiculous image of trying to hold Naruto up by the ankles now. He wasn't a little kid anymore, being only a few inches shorter than himself.

Of course, it still felt like he'd graduated only yesterday and Iruka shrugged in acceptance, knowing it would always feel that way for him. Now, if he could just come up with a way to weasel a few clues out of Naruto, he might be able to figure out what was upsetting the blonde so much. Sakura had told him about his 'episode' earlier that morning when she'd asked him if he recalled how he got injured, so that gave him a bit of a lead.

The sound of a kunai striking wood brought him sharply out of his thoughts, and he blinked as he realized where he had ended up. The main training grounds were scattered around Konoha, close enough to the village proper in case of an accident, but far enough away to avoid disturbing or endangering the general public. There were a few smaller sites tucked into the woods a good distance from town, but they weren't used a lot.

Silently berating himself for not keeping an eye on his surroundings, Iruka turned on his heel to head back to Konoha. He hesitated after a few steps, curiosity getting the better of him as he heard the sing of wire and another thunk of kunai against wood. Carefully, so as not to disturb whoever was training, he stepped up behind a tree to see who was occupying the small glade. His eyes widened in genuine surprise at the taller Jounin reeling his kunai back with a flick of his wrist as the wire zinged back to where it was hidden in his gloved hand.

"I can find another spot if you need this for classes," Kakashi called, holding the kunai loosely without turning around to look at the Academy teacher.

"No, no," Iruka replied guiltily, coming out from behind the tree. "Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you. I was just walking by and got curious. Do you use this place often?"

"Only when I'm looking for some privacy," he said neutrally, taking a stance and flinging the kunai out.

Iruka bristled slightly at the blunt response, but quelled it under the knowledge that he was the uninvited guest there. Honestly, talking to Kakashi was a somewhat frustrating puzzle. The man wasn't moody, but Iruka never quite knew what to expect out of him. He could be so aloof and distant much of the time that it was like trying to talk to someone across a canyon. He watched silently as Kakashi manipulated the direction of the kunai with the attached wire, winding it through the lower branches of the surrounding trees till he pulled it in to spear the back side of one of the target practice logs.

The exercise in accuracy and delicate control truly was impressive, and he had to fight the urge to whistle in appreciation. That was Kakashi for you, and the man wasn't even using his sharingan. Not that he should be using it in the first place, since he'd just gotten out of the hospital a few days ago. Iruka abruptly felt somewhat uncomfortable about not having visited Kakashi, even if it was to just poke his head in the door on his way to and from Naruto's room. It wasn't like they were close friends, but they were comrades and he probably should have at least said 'Hello'. Besides, there really was something he'd been wanting to say to the Jounin.

"Kakashi-san, I wanted to thank y-"

"If there's nothing important you wanted to discuss with me, you should probably head back to the village," Kakashi interrupted, reeling the kunai and wire back to his hand. "You're usually on duty at the Mission Assignment Desk in the afternoons, aren't you?"

Okay, now Iruka was pissed. Here he was trying to thank Kakashi for saving Naruto, and the impossible man was calling it unimportant?! His own nerves were on the frazzled side, and he clenched his teeth to keep from snapping back. The feeling was too reminiscent of the dispute they'd had about entering Team 7 in the Chuunin exams. Iruka had been wrong then, and he wasn't precisely in the right now after barging in and interrupting the Jounin during his personal training. Despite that, he wasn't going to give in so easily, an irrational desire to make a couple digs on Naruto's behalf fueling his temper.

"I just came back from visiting Naruto," Iruka said, narrowing his eyes at the almost imperceptible hitch in Kakashi's movements as the taller man again took his stance to throw the kunai. "Something's really bothering him, and he won't open up. When was the last time you went to see him?" The kunai sank into the back of the target post, and if Iruka didn't know any better he'd swear the visible part of the handle he could see looked like it might be slightly off center of its mark.

"I'll see him plenty when he gets out of the hospital," Kakashi said, yanking the kunai back to his palm and continuing to stay turned away from Iruka as he again took his stance.

"Sakura said he had a bad time of it when he tried to describe what he remembered of getting injured," he said, forcibly relaxing his jaw so he wasn't grating the words out.

Why Naruto was so attached to that damn man was beyond him, he was as insensitive as a brick. It was like nothing had changed and he'd gone back to...how he used to be? That gave Iruka pause, and he canted his head thoughtfully as Kakashi pulled the kunai to stab the back of the target post at a somewhat awkward angle. He'd never paid a great deal of attention to it before, but Kakashi had changed over the last six years.

It had been such a gradual shift that it was only noticeable when he compared the beginning and end result. But Naruto had that effect on people, so he shouldn't be surprised. What did surprise him was the fact that the Jounin seemed to be backing up into his old self. On top of that he was avoiding Naruto and squirreling himself in the middle of nowhere to train when he should be resting. Something wasn't adding up, and the chilly silence between them did nothing but fan a sense of suspicion he couldn't define.

"After his fever broke he said a lot of strange things," Iruka said quietly, watching Kakashi closely without knowing what he was looking for. The Jounin's shoulders were just a bit too tense as he reached his arm back to aim the kunai. "He didn't know where he was, and he couldn't hear anything I said." The bladed weapon whipped through the branches with more force than it needed, and Kakashi's fingers twitched on the singing wire as he controlled its direction. "He called out for you."

Kakashi's arm jerked back and the kunai flew wild, missing its target completely to sink into the ground between the two men. Iruka stared at the weapon with wide disbelieving eyes. He'd just seen and done the impossible; he'd distracted the great Hatake Kakashi enough to make him miss his target. And not only miss, but miss spectacularly enough to make 90% of his students look like seasoned professionals. Something was very wrong.

"Is it really that surprising?" Kakashi asked stonily, yanking the kunai back by the attached wire and refusing to look in Iruka's direction. "If Naruto was delirious enough to think he was still out there, of course he'd be wondering where the hell I was."

Iruka felt his hackles rise, glaring at the Jounin's rigid back and clenched fists. There was too much self-blame in that statement for his liking, and his anger at Kakashi's earlier interruption of his thanks rose exponentially. If he thought he could pull it off he would like nothing better than to drag the silver-haired jackass to the hospital and kick him into Naruto's room so he could give both of the stubborn bastards the biggest lecture of their fucking lives. Not that either of them would listen to a god damn word he said...

"He needs to talk to someone," Iruka grated angrily.

"He needs a good ass-kicking," Kakashi growled, putting his kunai away and stalking his way out of the small training area.

"That too..." Iruka replied under his breath, smiling ruefully as he watched the taller man disappear into the trees.

He stood there for several minutes, his half-grimace slowly relaxing into an expression that bordered on satisfied. He'd been there the day Kakashi had volunteered to assess Naruto's readiness for field assignments. Truthfully, he'd been more than a little concerned at the grim stoic resolve in the man's eye when he'd proposed the idea to Tsunade, knowing the Jounin was fairly intent on putting the blonde through some unforgiving paces to test him.

However, the more he kept stepping back to look at the larger picture, the more he started feeling rather good about the notion of those two butting heads. They were as opposite as they were similar, and any doubts he had in regards to the inevitable fight that would happen between the pair had been thoroughly dashed when that kunai hit the dirt instead of the target. Unfortunately, it also left him with a series of nagging questions concerning the restless tension they'd both displayed. It was as if he was looking at something that was connected but unconnected; a confusing tangle that didn't have an end or a beginning.

He scratched the back of his head and turned on his heel to walk back to the village proper. It didn't make sense that things felt as if they made absolute sense when he couldn't actually make any sense of any of it. Ah well, he _was_ dealing with Naruto in this situation. Everything always tended to happen sideways and then turn upside-down before righting itself into a perfectly aligned position in the end. Whatever was going on with those two, they'd eventually be able to iron each other out. That, at least, he had complete confidence in.


	8. Pakkun

Pakkun was never one to mince words. He said what was on his mind when it needed to be said, and if it didn't need to be spoken he simply remained quiet and observed with his unflappable countenance. That's not to say he was devoid of emotions or a sense of humor, he just didn't go around barking it out like a few others in the pack tended to do. It was rare for him to be thrown so completely off guard that his emotions came yipping or howling to the surface. After all, he had long since left his puppy days behind him.

The problem was, Kakashi had gone and adopted a trio of pups several years ago, and one of them in particular had the incorrigible habit of throwing the pug for a loop every now and then. And now was certainly one of those times... Even though the pup had grown into a man, Pakkun nevertheless found himself being scooped up and cuddled like a toy. Much to his overwhelming mortification, he felt a brief flash of warmth run down his spine at the affectionate touch, and had to ferociously quell the unthinkable desire to _wag his tail._ It was an unquestionably abhorrent idea!

Luckily, Pakkun's pride stepped up to the plate, and he gave Naruto a sharp nip on the nose before planting himself on the soft blonde hair with righteous indignation. Bull weathered his own attack placidly, but Pakkun caught the near imperceptible twitch along the big dog's back as his resolve almost fell at the grinning idiot's embrace, too. What made things more confounding was that Naruto had said something about being happy they were alive. Pakkun shot an astonished look toward Kakashi, not believing the man had actually let slip what had happened to the rest of the pack. As soon as his gaze rested on the Jounin, however, Pakkun started to get worried.

Reading body language wasn't only second nature to a dog, it was more like a first language. It was a complicated and subtle language where a minute tensing of one shoulder could speak volumes more than a five hour monologue. Kakashi hadn't told Naruto anything, because he was surprised as well. Surprised and frightened. Those two things never brought good results when mixed, but instead of the automatic internal withdrawal he was expecting from the Jounin, there was a rigid immobility. Pakkun interpreted it instinctively, but he was too startled to draw conclusions yet.

Naruto's eager request over the health of the rest of the pack was not met with a step back, an exasperated sigh, and a light scolding on underestimating trained ninken or a deft changing of the subject. It was not met with the wall Kakashi normally put around himself. It was met with a tension in his neck that was hesitant and afraid. A minuscule flinch in his shoulders that was skeptical and curious. A shift of weight on his feet that was full of pain and dread because, not only was he not stepping back, _he was stepping forward to summon the pack._

A 'pack' was not the same as a 'family' or 'friends', but there were enough similarities to give the words the same weight. Love and friendship were expressed with playfulness, flashing teeth and snarls gained respect, loyalty was carved in blood, and betrayal was howled out in pain with the tearing of a throat. Kakashi had raised them and trained them, he was their Alpha. They were more than just his summons, but they were not his servants or his pets. He never called them without having a specific job in mind.

...until today...

Pakkun was the oldest of the pack, and had seen each introduction of all seven other ninken. It was done the same way; after Kakashi had trained his new pup to a fair standard of basic obedience and trust, he would summon the rest of them so the new pack member could be brought into the fold properly. But as much as it was similar, this wasn't the same. Kakashi's posture was slightly off for what all the signs pointed to this introduction being about. It was like the man didn't even know he was-

Bull grunted quietly behind him in amusement, and Pakkun shot the big dog a withering look as Naruto scrambled delightedly forward into the midst of six highly bewildered ninken. It was no surprise that none of them flat-out rejected his presence - as baffling and surprising as the situation was -, though the blonde's exuberance had a few scooting warily away. They all had a bit of a soft spot for Naruto. Besides the fact that he was a very important person to Kakashi, they'd also seen and been pleased with how Naruto's influence had changed the Jounin over the years.

It had been an unbearable blow when they all failed to track and find the young man on their last assignment. And, yes, they _all_ failed. Six were injured and forced to retreat without sniffing out a scrap of a lead other than they might possibly be in the right vicinity, and two were sent off to deliver messages after finding an empty cave with Naruto's blood smeared across the wall and floor. Prideful and trained as they were, none of them could hide the guilt when Naruto laughed and called himself silly for believing a slightly twisted version of a truth they'd hoped he would never discover.

It hurt beyond imagination that the idiot was worried about _them_ while he was chained to a wall and slowly dying. Thankfully, Kakashi had enough compassion to break the heavy atmosphere, and Pakkun was soon having a great deal of fun playing 'warden' as Naruto picked trash out of the river. The pug tossed a glance over at Kakashi every so often, noting the forced relaxation in his seemingly languid position in the tree, as well as the fact that he was holding his book too close to his face to be able to read it.

The well-hidden tension didn't ease when he dropped out of the tree after the task was done, and, as much as Pakkun could practically smell Bull's desire to stay and see what happened, he gave a nonchalant good-bye before they both released their summons. The instant they re-materialized at home they were pounced by the rest of the pack, demanding answers to questions that were mostly unanswerable.

It wasn't until four days later, when he was summoned to deliver a message to Konoha, that he allowed himself to come to a conclusion that was no longer unexpected. He was running past a field and could hear Naruto talking to another familiar voice; Tenzou, or Yamato as he was called now. He was asking about Kakashi, wanting to know more about the man. Even though the questions were as vague and innocent as Naruto was capable of making them, there was a decidedly eager and stubborn timbre to his voice that simply would not take 'no' for an answer.

Pakkun lifted his eyes to the heavens briefly, wishing he could just reverse his summoning so he could smack Kakashi. The Jounin was acting like he was caught in a trap, and he didn't even realize he'd set it up himself. He didn't even realize getting caught like that was probably the best thing that had ever happened to him. It was going to be hard not having it out with Kakashi, but this was something that none of the pack could interfere with.

"Humans..." Pakkun grumbled, turning away from the field as he made his way to the Hokage tower.


	9. Onigawara

Like all ANBU outside of the old ROOT faction, Onigawara was given his code-name due to a specific trait he had, making his name less about anonymity and more about individuality. That Konoha designated their ANBU operatives with code-names that reflected something personal, even if it was the simple physical quirk of looking like a gargoyle whenever he was crouched on a rooftop, was a source of great pride and oftentimes comfort. It was a thread connecting them to their own humanity when they had to bury their hearts beneath layers of blood and gore while they performed their duties as the obedient emotionless tools of the Hokage.

Knowing what they were taking from their elite subordinates, the Hokages would give them that one small gift of a name that typically had little to do with the shape of the mask handed to them. It was a reminder that even tools had souls, and was further enforced by the fact that each ANBU had to paint the markings on their own masks. Officially, it was a task given to the individual so that each mask was indeed unique in its appearance for the sake of recognition, and if that individual carried themselves with a greater amount of pride, dedication, and loyalty because of it...well, that was just a pleasant side-effect.

An ANBU's mask was a precious object, something each operative knew they would very probably die wearing. If someone was lucky enough to survive to a voluntary retirement, the mask was generally kept as an important keepsake that was carefully guarded and perhaps hidden away somewhere safe. In rare cases it was given back to the Hokage or destroyed, and those cases were always followed by the disappearance of the ex-ANBU for an undetermined amount of time while they were being evaluated for their mental stability. One did not simply discard their mask without a devastating reason.

Onigawara had been in ANBU for four solid years, which was quite a feat considering he hadn't been assigned any civilian tasks within that span. Then again, it wasn't all that surprising because his specific abilities meant his duties were primarily centered around support, scouting, and intelligence gathering. His hands certainly weren't devoid of having taken another's life, but he wasn't classed as an assassin or even put in the second tier of infiltration and combat back-up that people like Tenzou were in.

His purpose was to relay detailed information to the assassins so they could perform as efficiently as possible, and then make sure the escape routes the second tier created for them weren't compromised. With his skill in medical jutsu - basic as it was compared to a real medic - and kekkei genkai, he did more patching up and guarding than he did fighting. He snorted ruefully as he leapt over the sun-warmed rooftops of Konoha toward his destination, his fingers briefly tightening around the mission scroll in his hand. He was also, apparently, a delivery man...

He resisted the urge to rub his temples, berating himself for even thinking the grumbling thought. Every one of the ANBU members was sent out at some point in time to deliver confidential messages or summons from the Hokage tower. It just so happened that he was on duty and available at the precise moment the Hokage called for someone. Much to his chagrin, it also just so happened that the person he was supposed to contact was none other than the man he was rather uncomfortably connected to through a pair of awkward events: Kakashi.

Onigawara knew Tsunade hadn't summoned him, specifically, for this errand, but he still couldn't help the itching feeling that the coincidence was deliberate. He was a firm believer in fate and destiny; that everything happened for a reason. He just wished he knew which god he'd pissed off that had him getting roped into contacting the _extremely dangerous_ man whom the ANBU was keeping secrets for. Not that the secrets were all that damning, but it still left him with a curdled stomach when he had to leave out details in his reports.

Sure, he knew he would talk if asked directly, but he kept repeating to himself that discretion was the better part of valor as he continued to thank whichever god was keeping the Hokage from asking those direct questions. Nearing the neighborhood where the Jounin lived, he stretched out his senses to see if the man was even in his apartment. Another dreadfully familiar chakra signature assaulted his swiftly frazzling nerves, and he cringed inwardly. Seriously?! Naruto just HAD to be there, too?!

With a sigh, Onigawara activated his byakugan and slowed his pace a bit. All he had to do was leak his chakra just enough for Kakashi to sense it. That way the Jounin could come out to meet him, and he could trip over a roof tile as his brain came to an abrupt screeching halt, tumble gracelessly to the ground as his life flashed before his eyes, land flat on his ass in the dirt as panic slammed into his chest, and then bolt in the opposite direction at break-neck speed as he fled the image of something HE NEVER **EVER** SHOULD HAVE SEEN! WHAT THE FUCK, GOD?! WHY WAS THIS HAPPENING TO HIM?!

His mind whirled into frantic motion as his feet carried him as fast as he could go without using too much chakra to alert anyone - especially **_Kakashi_** \- of his state of panic and retreat. There was just no way he had seen that! It was impossible! It was...it was...a strange upright CPR lesson! It had to be! THERE WAS NO WAY HE HAD SEEN KAKASHI KISS NARUTO! Skidding to a halt on the Hokage Monument, he sucked in air and pinned himself back against the cool stone in the shadow of...fuck... _the Yondaime's hair._

Onigawara would never admit, not even under duress of Ibiki's torture, that he had shrieked like a woman before darting behind the relative safety of the Shodai's ear where he huddled like a frightened child. The problem wasn't that he was convinced he was going to die at the hands of an ex-ANBU assassin. No, no that wasn't the problem at all. The problem was that he _wasn't_ going to die, because Kakashi was going to leave him _**wishing**_ _he was dead!_

Pressing the end of the scroll tightly clutched in his slightly trembling hands against his ceramic mask, he sat there and silently counted out the minutes as he kept his chakra as dim as he was able. When five minutes came and went, he allowed himself to relax subtly. Hope dared to peek into his head as time continued to fail to bring about his demise. Kakashi would not have let that little incident of accidental voyeurism go without immediate repercussions. Which only led him to one conclusion: Kakashi didn't know Onigawara had seen them!

His silent internal victory dance was short-lived, unfortunately, because he was still holding the scroll that had the Jounin's next mission assignment details. A scroll which was supposed to have already been delivered to Kakashi so he could prepare to leave for the mission early the next morning. Onigawara was in some deep shit, here! He was still on duty and failing miserably at it! As much as he would like to, he couldn't hide behind the Shodai's ear forever, but there was no way he was going anywhere near that man's apartment until he was absolutely sure Naruto was nowhere in the vicinity.

Complete brain-breaking knowledge that he had witnessed Konoha's resident God of Impersonal Reclusiveness actually _kissing another person_ _ **willingly**_ , and that the person just so happened to be Konoha's resident Loudmouthed God of Unpredictability and Hero as well as the one his own damn clan was itching to get married into the family aside, he was not at all looking forward to the day he had ahead of him. Hiding the scroll in his supply pouch would be easy. Hiding the guilt while he would use every available moment he had to himself to activate his byakugan so he could check the village streets and Naruto's apartment for the young man's presence? Not so easy...

"I need to fucking retire," Onigawara groaned, burying his masked face in his hands.


	10. Sunlight

**Sunlight**

Sunlight is not a living being, yet it is an absolute source of life. Without Sunlight, the planet would be nothing more than frozen debris floating in the darkness. Sunlight has no eyes, no hands, no legs, no mouth. And still it peeks through windows, reaches out to caress cloth and muscle with warm fingers, dances with the shadows of billowing curtains and moving limbs, and delights in it all with silent musical laughter.

It has no voice or heart, but it glistens across the sweat of skin with a loving whisper. It glows with a playful passion, urging the lives under its gaze to break free and surrender to the chaos of peace. To melt and struggle within the serene tempest of life until boundaries no longer exist. Until there is only the thought of that moment, stretching out and engulfing all of the past, present and future.

Sunlight is a life-force. It should be no surprise, then, to know that this life-force created the force of life called Fate. While Sunlight can reach far, it cannot reach deep nor determine which lives it will nurture and shape. It was never meant to do so, because it must be unconditional with its tenderness and relentless with its cruelty toward all life, be it hated or loved by those around it.

Fate, on the other hand, seeks the strings of hearts where Sunlight cannot interfere or reach. It is a common misconception that Fate creates these threads which she plucks and weaves with such meticulous care. They are, in fact, born of the hearts which they are bound to. Fate does nothing more than strengthen the ties that bind, spreading cloistered webs and cinching knots tight in constantly changing patterns.

She is not always gentle, she is not always kind, and she is not always infallible. Fate is not the one who created the threads, after all, and it is not for her to decide if the hearts of those she weaves together will see or accept the tapestry of truth she has made. Sunlight, for all its objectivity, adores the artistry of Fate. Threads previously unseen glimmer and sing beneath its warm touch, becoming slack in the heat so that Fate can weave the strings with an ever more intricate and delicate hand.

At the end of the day one would think Sunlight was gone, but that's far from true. Moonlight is just a reflection of Sunlight through the darkness of night. Brightly curious peeking becomes a mysterious sidelong glance, warm nimble fingers become cool and languid, swift dancing eases to a sensual rhythm, and silent tinkling laughter becomes the sweet sad humming of a lullaby.

The threads of the heart are drawn out again with dreams, shimmering in the pale light. Moonlight watches with a soft gaze as Fate continues weaving her tapestries with the strings those lives may not even know exist within their own minds. Colors are lost and blended as gold turns silver, tangled limbs have no end or beginning, heartbeats and slow breathing echo at the same pace.

All is right with the world in that sublime moment, and Sunlight continues to watch through the lazy eye of the moon as Fate smiles with satisfaction at her work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to be clear: I was neither drunk nor high when I wrote this. Yeah, I know it's totally existential and DEEP, dude. But, seriously, that's kind of how the underlying current of chapter 10 in the main fic was. I warned you it would be romanticized with flowery metaphysical prose, didn't I?!
> 
> Actually...that's kind of how the whole story is...
> 
> I love you all. XD


	11. Shizune

Shizune's devotion to Tsunade was absolute and irrefutable. They were the family they each should have had, but for the loss of one man: her Uncle and Tsunade's lover. When Dan had died, her first thought had been anger at how the infamous healer had failed to save him. Her second thought had been one of overwhelming disgust at herself. Her third thought, as she looked up at the hollow broken gaze of the woman who should have been her Aunt, was that she would do anything in the world to keep those eyes from dying. To keep the last remaining link to her family from shattering.

She attached herself to Tsunade without another thought, and lucky for her, thinking up worst case scenarios was one of her specialties. Traveling with Tsunade for years, and struggling to pick up the pieces left behind in the wake of the woman's reckless gambling habits had helped her hone that skill. She wasn't arrogant enough to think she could try to stop Tsunade when a particular decision made Shizune's hair stand on end because she could see the catastrophe looming ahead, but she was forever attempting to shift the tide just a bit to avoid total disaster. All in hopes of lessening the amount of strain and suffering that would inevitably come back to haunt Tsunade.

When she first met Naruto she knew he'd be trouble, and not only because he was tagging along with Jiraiya. He was an irreverent, temperamental, naive little punk, and worst of all he was outspoken and openly honest about exactly what he felt. He was the embodiment of hope, wrapped up in a stubborn clumsy package. He was an echo of the past, and a glimmer of the future. He was what they had been running from since they'd left Konoha. He was the number one worst case scenario.

His worst case scenario status in Shizune's mind never changed over the years, though her fondness of him did end up growing from her initial simple desire to protect him at all costs for Tsunade's sake. He had a way of worming his way into a person's heart and staying there like an inoperable benign tumor. After Pain's attack there had been no denying his strength in battle, and after the Fourth War it had been almost unbelievable.

However, the day Sai brought Naruto back half-dead and very nearly beyond saving due to the seal preventing them from healing him was a staggering blow to the unquestioning confidence everyone had in his inherent ability to be completely indestructible. It was the longest 24 hours of Shizune's life, working alongside Tsunade and Sakura to keep him from dropping off the edge. When they were finally done, and he was out of immediate danger, she did the only thing her weary mind thought would be right at the time; she followed Tsunade to her office and poured the sake herself.

With the state they were in, it only took two small cups for them to begin talking about old memories and silly things. Shizune surprised herself by being the one to bring up Naruto's lack of a...personal companion. From the beginning they'd both known how he felt about Sakura, and as time went by the subject of Naruto getting himself a girlfriend had become something of a taboo topic between them. She could see it in Tsunade's eyes, how it ached to watch her little brat love someone from a distance because they were in love with someone else. It was like watching a replay of herself and Jiraiya, and the thought of Naruto ending up alone forever was too painful to talk about.

Fortunately, Naruto liked to defy the odds by breaking the endless cycle of the past repeating itself, and their unspoken relief at his acceptance of truly letting Sakura go had only been matched by the awkwardness of knowing Hiashi was just barely keeping the impatience of the elders of the Hyuuga Clan in check. Planning an arranged marriage between two adults was a delicate thing in itself, but it was especially difficult when the Winds of Change were blowing with such irrepressible force. Shizune could honestly sympathize with Hiashi, having to deal with a few dusty tradition-bound elders herself on a regular basis.

Still, the idea of Naruto marrying into the Hyuuga Clan wasn't out of the realm of possibilities, and Shizune was more than delighted to find herself giggling with Tsunade like a couple of teenage girls as they imagined what the children would look like. It felt so good to talk about the future, even if it was a ridiculous fantasy centered around someone else's nonexistent love life. They left it at that, though. Just idle gossip to bolster their hearts after coming so close to never being able to gossip about the subject at all.

Several weeks later they both noted that Naruto was looking 'restless' about something other than being stuck on low-ranked missions while he recovered. The conversation again devolved into gossip, but Shizune didn't leave it at that this time. Naruto was rather well sought-after, and being one step ahead was invaluable in terms of avoiding a public debacle. Naruto could be with whoever he wanted, but egos might need some soothing behind the scenes and Shizune wanted to be prepared for that.

It was frustrating when the usual sources for juicy tidbits of what was going on in Konoha behind closed doors had nothing to offer her. As Naruto's restlessness continued to sharpen, Shizune's warning alarms started scrolling through numerous worst case scenarios. Tsunade was content with smiling into her tea or sake, patiently waiting until Naruto made his move, but Shizune was tearing her hair out every night because surely _someone_ should be talking about this and she couldn't find them!

She was damn near her breaking point when the blonde bane of her existence skittered into the Hokage tower, late and glowing. **_GLOWING_** , FOR FUCK'S SAKE! And he had the oblivious audacity to look at _them_ like they'd lost their minds! She could have strangled him when he gave bland neutral answers to Tsunade's polite inquiry about his day off, and she wanted to strangle herself because she was practically dancing in place with the need to know who he'd been with.

When he blushed and made a hasty retreat after declining their offer to let him take a companion, she was 99.3% sure he had hooked up with a kunoichi. A regular civilian wouldn't have been able to keep everything under wraps, and she had seen a flicker of hesitation in Naruto's eyes. He'd wanted to say a name. As soon as he was gone, she bolted out the door. The civilian council members that also sat at the Mission Assignment Desk weren't blind. Word would spread like wildfire soon enough, and she needed to scramble to do some damage control.

It felt a little degrading to send ANBU out with the messages, but speed was of the essence. She paused as she looked up at a familiar mask, and her face fell as she set the note back on her desk.

"Ah, that's right! You delivered that mission scroll to Kakashi-san, didn't you," Shizune scowled.

"Yes, ma'am," Onigawara replied, his shoulders stiffening.

"Damn it, I'd forgotten about that," she sighed, unfolding the message and writing another quick note at the bottom before handing it over. "Here, deliver this to Shikamaru instead."

She felt a touch of pity when she saw the relieved sag in his shoulders as he sank into the floor. Knowing he'd been the one to have the undesirable job of night-watch over Kakashi while his chakra had been so unstable, his reluctance wasn't that surprising. Kakashi could be downright impossible when he set his mind to it. However, she gave no more thought to it than that, and sent for another ANBU agent as she continued to write out her carefully worded messages.


	12. Izumo and Kotetsu

It was a long-standing suspicion within the Yamanaka Clan that Izumo and Kotetsu had once been a single shinobi that had fallen under a forbidden - and badly executed - mind transference jutsu. According to the frivolous legend, the fractured soul had then been reincarnated within two people. Of course, that was all just wild speculation, but no one could deny that the two of them may as well have been inseparable twin brothers born to different families.

They were the only people outside of the Inuzaka Clan and their ninken to be officially classified as a permanent team. Just as Kiba would never be without Akamaru, Izumo and Kotetsu could not function well as shinobi independently. All of their unique fighting techniques depended upon each other, and their teamwork was so ingrained that they reflexively fought as if the other was there to back them up even if they weren't.

It didn't take long for the Hokage to realize that they were perfectly suited for gate duty. Other than the obvious bond they shared that would prevent them from getting sick of being stuck with the same person all day during the often boring task, they were quite the force to be reckoned with when they worked together. They were also trustworthy and dependable, and social enough to recognize almost everyone. So, it was to their immense surprise one day that they saw someone who appeared to be Hatake Kakashi toss them something that almost seemed like a cheerful jaunty wave as he left the village.

Shocked and bewildered, they both sat frozen for a minute with their hands raised and their mouths slightly agape to voice a greeting that had never made it past their stunned lips. As one, they turned to look at each other, then at their own hands, then back at each other, and finally they leaned precariously over the table to see if they could catch a glimpse of the Jounin who may or may not have been a ghost, an imposter, or under the influence of some sort of drug. Unfortunately, he was long gone, and they were left wondering whether or not they should report the incident.

"What was _that?!"_ Izumo said quietly, still looking out the gates as he sat back in his chair.

"What was what?" Ayame asked, walking up to the shaded table with their lunch delivery.

"He waved at us!" Kotetsu said, turning wide astonished eyes toward her as she set the carrying case holding their bowls of ramen on the table.

Ayame blinked and looked between them with hesitant confusion. "Who waved at you?"

"Kakashi-san," Izumo replied, scratching his head and starting to get genuinely worried about the possibility of that man having been an imposter.

"I brought the day's schedule," Shikamaru said, stepping up the to the table to hand over the sheet of paper to an all too eager Izumo. "What was that about Kakashi-sensei?"

"He's on the list, that was really him!" Izumo breathed, swiftly cross-checking the list of personnel that were scheduled to be going in and out of the gates with those they'd seen that day.

"Don't you think the two of you might be overreacting just a little?" Ayame asked, setting the bowls on the table.

"No, you don't get it, _he waved at us!"_ Kotetsu insisted, looking at Shikamaru and Ayame while pointing at his hand to show the significance of the obviously unprecedented act.

"And he was smiling, too," Izumo said, feeling perplexed as he set the paper aside and reached into his pocket for his wallet. It was his turn to pay for lunch. "Kakashi-san just doesn't do that kind of thing, it isn't normal."

"Oi, oi, are you guys seriously getting worked up over something like this?" Shikamaru asked in lazy disbelief, giving them the familiar look they'd labeled: 'Why are you acting insane, and why do you have to be bothering me with it?'

Kotetsu shook his head, trying to figure out how to explain the monumental situation that had just happened. "But he-"

"That's enough," Ayame scolded, pocketing the money for the ramen and setting her hands on her hips. "You're acting like Kakashi-san isn't even human."

The two friends glanced at each other, silently debating on how to respond to that statement. Kotetsu wanted to come right out and say Kakashi couldn't really be classed as a normal human, but Izumo's scowl silenced him because he'd come up with a more tactful response.

"You have to admit it's out of character for him, though," Izumo sighed, breaking his chopsticks and lifting the lid off his bowl of ramen. He didn't want to relinquish the subject, but even as shocking as it had been it was starting to feel like they might be blowing things a bit out of proportion.

Shikamaru shrugged noncommittally, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Ayame said, picking up the carrying case. "Back when the Yondaime had only just been inducted as Hokage, he'd brought Kushina-san to Ichiraku for a lunch date. I remember it because it was the first time I'd seen him wearing that flamboyant Hokage robe of his. When Kakashi-san came to drag him back to the tower for a meeting he was late for, Kushina-san was livid because she thought she was being left with the bill," she laughed. "But I saw the Yondaime tuck the money under her napkin when she wasn't looking, and I know Kakashi-san saw it too. He'd rolled his eye at Kushina-san's outburst, and was about to say something when the Yondaime grabbed his arm with a laugh and they both vanished."

"Aww, that's romantic," Kotetsu sighed, propping his chin on his palm and stirring his noodles.

"Except it more or less proves their point," Shikamaru said dryly.

"Seems that way, doesn't it," Ayame replied. "I would bet a lot of money that Kakashi-san forgot that day years ago, and wouldn't recall it unless he was asked about it specifically. Maybe not even then."

"No contest," Izumo agreed with a nod.

"It's funny, then, isn't it? Because I've seen him play that same game twice with someone," she said with a sly smile.

"No way!" Kotetsu sputtered as Izumo promptly choked on his food.

As Kotetsu whapped his friend on the back to clear his throat he saw Shikamaru's expression go from startled, to a calculating scowl, then finally settle into the annoyed look of defeat he always wore when faced with a difficult task he was not looking forward to dealing with.

"Who was it?" Kotetsu asked after Izumo had managed to swallow his food safely.

"Who knows," Ayame said with a lift of her shoulders.

"It's plain cruel teasing us like that!" Kotetsu whined pitifully.

"Hey, there's enough gossip turning the village inside-out already," Shikamaru said sharply. "Don't make things more troublesome than they are."

"Drop the empty bowls off whenever you can," Ayame chuckled as she started to walk away, then paused and looked over her shoulder. "Oh, Shikamaru, if you see Shizune-san, could you tell her I haven't heard anything new about Naruto's girlfriend?"

"Yeah," Shikamaru sighed before turning a thoughtful glance out the gates for a moment. "Honestly, all this nonsense gives my stomach a turn. I'm going to get something to eat," he grumbled, strolling back into the village.

"Wow, who'd have guessed it?" Kotetsu said after a few minutes of silence, placing the lid over his empty ramen bowl and setting it aside.

"I know, it's like there's something in the water lately," Izumo said, shaking his head and putting his own empty bowl aside as well.

"I wonder who it was..."

"You start asking around and you'll probably find yourself in a world of trouble," Izumo said, leaning back in his chair to gaze up at the clear sky.

"I bet Naruto knows."

"I bet even if he does, he won't say a word."

"Probably," Kotetsu sighed, cradling his chin in his hands as he leaned his elbows on the table. "It's not fair, I want some of the water they've been drinking..."


	13. Nakama

**Nakama**

* * *

**Gai**

Gai considered himself to be a simple man. He lived a simple but robust life, he enjoyed simple pleasures with vigorous delight, and compared to the brilliant minds of people like Shikamaru or Kakashi, he didn't mind thinking of himself as being simple-minded. While he certainly wouldn't go so far as to call himself stupid, he knew he lacked the complexity of a genius brain. And he was happy with that. In fact, he had observed over the years that lacking a genius brain of complexity was one of the things that allowed him to find so much joy in living his simple life.

Geniuses tended to be rather unhappy most of the time because they would dwell on unnecessary details _all the time._ It was a grandly magnificent thing to use those complex brains to pick apart every little detail on the battlefield so an intricate strategy of victory could be created, but it was a frustrating trial to watch those same geniuses turn their own detail-oriented brains against themselves. And when that genius happened to be his very good friend and eternal rival, it was heartrendingly painful.

The moment Gai caught sight of Kakashi standing under the shade of a tree at the far side of the small park, he knew the rumors he'd been hearing about the man possibly finding himself a lady-love to share his heart with were true. He looked DREADFUL. Only Kakashi could do that to himself because he'd found happiness, it was ridiculous. The cold pit of worry in his stomach did nothing to sway the tempest of elation in his chest, and he sternly ignored the unpleasant sensation of deja vu as he made his way toward his friend. Memories of his more youthful days scouring the village streets to find Kakashi after not having seen him for several months were pushed aside. Kakashi wasn't in ANBU anymore, and the fear of seeing glimpses of a haunted distant expression with death casting shadows under his friend's eye was unnecessary.

However, a thorough inspection was necessary to assess the current state of his haggard-looking rival's overall health. Judging from the fit of his clothes Kakashi had lost too much weight for Gai's comfort, but he wasn't dangerously gaunt yet. His posture was fatigued but not relaxed, a stance typical of chakra exhaustion and stress. The barely noticeable twitch of his shoulders meant he was holding back an unusually large amount of irritation, something was definitely bothering him. A poke at his knee yielded no subtle defensive reflex that would indicate Kakashi was hiding an injury, so Gai was left with the conclusion that Kakashi's troubles stemmed from the aforementioned matters of the heart. But first things first. His rival needed food, he was far too thin.

...and far too stubborn, damn it. Gai didn't want to relent, but the fact that Kakashi was flashing his temper meant the troubles at the root of his problem were much deeper than Gai initially suspected. Kakashi was in pain, and he needed someone to lash out at. Well, that's what friends were for, right? So, Gai started talking. He wasn't clever enough to be subtly manipulative, but Kakashi was so on edge that all he needed to do was simply express his actual feelings to get the man to react. It worked splendidly until the end, when Kakashi tensed at the last second to win the match he was no longer paying attention to with 'Rock', staring into the wind and looking like he was about to fly apart or crumble into dust.

Sighing, he slung his arm over Kakashi's shoulders to get him walking in the direction he obviously wanted to go, but was doing a terrible job trying to hide it. It was indescribably delightful and deeply moving to see his aloof and cool friend harboring so much fiery passion, but the truth of the matter was that Gai could see it only because Kakashi's usually reticent manner was worn down and strained. The shoulders under his arm felt thin and brittle, and Gai scolded his friend on his eating habits. But those shoulders were also vibrating with tension and ready to snap. Kakashi was losing control, and that was actually a rather dangerous situation. That was why Gai didn't let go when he felt the subtle hitch in Kakashi's stride that was fighting the desire to break into a run.

Naruto and Shikamaru's appearance had Kakashi cringing, and Gai thought it was simply because the pair would delay them for a bit. The momentary distraction would probably do Kakashi some good, though, and Gai was just soaring inside at the prospect of also maybe getting a clue as to who Naruto was so taken with. It wouldn't be long before he would come to regret his decision to take his eyes off Naruto, glancing around at the scattered people in the Market District to see if he could pick out the woman who had effectively stolen his rival's heart.

When he looked back at the blonde coming to a halt in front of them, he was completely unprepared for the expression on the young man's face. The half-formed smile of greeting froze in place on Gai's lips, and all he could do was stare as his mind came to a grinding halt. The word 'smitten' came unbidden to the forefront of his stunned thoughts, and he reflexively darted his gaze to Kakashi as the man pushed back against his arm as if trying to inch away from Naruto in an attempt to make the whole situation less brain-breaking than it already was. Of course, it didn't really work.

It was during times like these that Gai found it most advantageous that he was a simple man. If he'd been a genius he would have been reacting similarly to Shikamaru, and he would have been rendered unable to recover swiftly because he would have been hindered by countless unnecessary details. Naruto had always been open about liking girls, and Kakashi had never given any indication to the opposite effect either. But it was a moot point because the detail about which gender anyone cared to be with had never mattered to Gai. It still didn't.

He grimaced thoughtfully as that issue was shuffled aside. Another problem was that a relationship between the two was a violation of the Jounin code of ethics, and it was a punishable offense. Since Gai had no control over something like that, the detail was also shuffled aside. Admittedly, he was not happy that his friend had chosen to be with _a former student,_ but there was no helping it, no stopping it, and the two of them were grown adults. Kakashi certainly wasn't the type of man to simply indulge in a one-time fling with someone as precious to him as Naruto, so Gai put that bit of ire on the back burner.

Now that his mind had some room to breathe, he was free to observe the situation clearly. And he did not like it. The more Gai watched, the angrier he became. Kakashi was holding himself back viciously, the effort causing the muscles in his shoulders to tremble and flinch. This was not what Kakashi should be doing! He should be leaping forward and carrying Naruto off into the sunset! Or...well...perhaps the other way around, considering Kakashi's current state of health... At any rate, he should not be killing himself by worrying about what other people thought! Gai was starting to get genuinely frightened that Kakashi would dig himself into a pit, leaving himself far too vulnerable to attacks from people who would be against the relationship. Something had to be done, and Gai steeled his resolve as he grabbed the collar of Kakashi's vest.

...for you, my friend, I will not let you run...

"We need to talk, my friend," Gai said, his voice low and serious. Every step was like a knife through his heart, and he plunged the blade in again and again as he focused on what he was going to have to do. He buried his emotions beneath the fires of rage, despising and loathing himself.

"Well, that's going to be rather difficult during an eating competition," Kakashi said, his wry humor half-hearted.

...for you, my friend, I will not let you hide...

"You declined that challenge, so I will choose another," Gai replied coldly, tightening his grip on the vest and using a burst of chakra to transport them to the large training field used by Jounin and ANBU. As he let go of Kakashi's collar, he knew his friend would not listen to him no matter how inspirational his words were. Kakashi was already giving up. "I choose taijutsu," he growled, opening the first five of the Eight Gates in rapid succession. It was surprisingly easy, and he knew it was because he was already in so much pain.

"Gai, if you want to talk, then we can just talk," Kakashi sighed, pushing himself to his feet.

...for you, my friend, I will be ruthless...

Every word he spoke was absolute truth, which made the lies he _didn't_ say all the more cutting. All it took was a change in his tone of voice and innocent statements were made vile, worthy compliments became hateful, and words of encouragement were twisted into accusations. Kakashi's greatest adversaries were his own guilt and doubt, and Gai was determined to drive the stubborn man into a corner to face those demons within. He would be the one person his friend feared the most, and he would attack relentlessly while Kakashi was at his weakest. He would crush Kakashi with the weight of Konoha's expectations while he was already on his knees and ready to shatter. He would show no mercy, and demand that none be shown to him! _He would_ _force his friend to_ _fight back!_ _**A**_ _ **nd**_ _ **he would make Kakashi WIN!**_

It took every last ounce of willpower he had to keep himself from grinning like an idiot when Kakashi snarled defiantly in his face and ripped the ligaments in his knee and shoulder, because he knew without a shadow of a doubt that no one would ever be able to hurt his friend again.

* * *

**Yamato**

Yamato had to admit he was envious. Stuffing his hands in his pockets as he walked down the street, he gave himself a wryly amused smile. Okay, he might even be a little jealous, but he felt entitled to it. He just wished he hadn't heard everything through the dubious machinations of the rumor mill. A week ago he'd returned to Konoha to learn that Naruto had found himself a girlfriend earlier that month, and yesterday he'd come back to discover Kakashi was quite possibly seeing someone. Normally the second bit of gossip would have been passed off as just gossip, but there was no denying he'd seen evidence pointing to that possibility himself. Kicking a pebble idly, he spotted Sai on a bench across the street from a small dango shop with a bandage over his eye, his sketchbook open on his lap, and a scroll unfurled next to him.

"Mind if I join you, Sai?" Yamato asked, strolling up to the young man.

"Hmm? No, not at all, taichou," Sai replied, glancing up briefly before returning to put the finishing touches on his sketch. Yamato watched in silence, looking from the drawing to the outdoor tables Sai was trying to replicate. "The perspective is off, isn't it," he said thoughtfully, setting his pencil down and looking at Yamato.

"It can't really be helped when you've only got the use of one eye," he shrugged. "What happened?"

"It's an acid burn that melted part of my cornea," Sai said with a cheerful smile.

"Okay...Sai, you really shouldn't smile like that when telling people about your injuries..."

"Really?" Sai blinked, looking somewhat disappointed. "But I've observed many people smiling while they are injured in order to sooth the concerns of others. It seems to work quite well for them."

"You're on the right track, your timing is just a little off," Yamato chuckled. "Wait to smile until you're actually voicing words to soothe those concerns. Things like 'It doesn't hurt much'."

"Oh, but it hurts quite a bit."

"Or 'It's not as bad as it looks'," Yamato sighed, starting to get that sinking feeling of defeat.

"But it looks rather disgusting, and Sakura told me it was a bad wound." He paused for a beat, tilting his head. "Would you like to see it?"

"No, Sai, I wouldn't," Yamato said, passing his hand over his eyes and slumping against the back of the bench.

There was a moment of silence as Sai furrowed his brow in contemplation, then that cheerful smile was back in place. "She also told me that I should make a full recovery in a week."

"Better," Yamato nodded with a quiet laugh. "Much better. And I'm happy to hear you'll recover. By the way, did you ever come to a conclusion with all that research you were doing the last time I saw you?"

"Relationships between people are complex and baffling things," he said, shaking his head and turning his sketchbook to a blank page.

"They're as varied and unpredictable as the people involved," Yamato said, lifting his hands helplessly. "Take Naruto for example."

"Yes, that is troubling," Sai mused, picking up a small ink mouse scurrying around his feet. "It seems Naruto is incapable of maintaining his discretion now that he's engaged in sexual relations with his partner. He was doing quite well up until that point, though. I didn't think the act of coupling with another person was something that could bring about such an obvious and swift change."

Yamato had to take a moment to process the awkwardness out of Sai's blunt observation, scratching his cheek in embarrassment. "Ah, well...the act of...intimacy affects people in different ways," he mumbled. "His...er...partner is staying very discreet about it."

"That's just it," Sai sighed, setting the mouse down and tracing the edge of his sketchbook with a finger. "Relatively speaking, Naruto's partner is being just as obvious as he is, but no one is seeing it because no one is expecting it. It's becoming a bit concerning. I don't want to see either of them get hurt because of it, but I'm not entirely sure there's anything I can or should do about it. My research also resulted in a great deal of advice on not speaking about or getting involved in other people's relationships when assistance wasn't requested."

"Have you told anyone else about this?" Yamato asked, confused and starting to get worried over the young man's underlying distress.

"No."

"Then why did you tell me?"

"Because Naruto just returned to the village, and me keeping it a secret will most likely become a moot point very soon," Sai replied, pointing at the ink mouse before it jumped into the open scroll next to him.

"All right," Yamato said, placing his palms on his knees. "Let's hear who it is."

"Kakashi-senpai."

"...Sai, that isn't funny," Yamato said darkly.

"I wasn't attempting to make a joke, I am being completely serious."

"Then you better have a damn good reason for coming to that conclusion," he growled, his mind racing in denial as pieces of two separate puzzles he never EVER would have imagined fitting together were falling into place as smooth as silk. But it was still all wild speculation and baseless assumption, there was just no way it was really happening!

"I first noticed something different when I retrieved them from the end of Naruto's undercover mission this year," Sai said, scowling slightly as he considered how to explain what he was thinking. "Kakashi-senpai was holding Naruto."

"Naruto was dying, you can't jump to conclusions based off a situation like that!" Yamato scolded, trying to clear his mind, trying not to let more pieces fall together as he recalled the week he'd spent with Naruto after he'd gotten out of the hospital.

He hadn't asked the things that crushes were supposed to ask! He hadn't asked about what Kakashi liked to eat, what his favorite color was, how many girlfriends he'd had, none of it! He'd asked silly random things! What was Kakashi like in ANBU? Was he different back then? Was he more serious? Did he still have his porn with him all the time? Was he always late then, too? Yamato had quite honestly had his suspicions that Kakashi had somehow put Naruto up to the barrage of questions by saying something ridiculously mysterious, just to make his life a living hell while Kakashi foisted the chores on his shoulders.

"I've seen comrades hold each other as they die, this was different," Sai insisted calmly.

"How was it different? Just show me," Yamato said, scrubbing his face and fighting back a looming sense of panic.

If something had happened and Naruto had started showing some sort of curiosity, then it was no surprise that Kakashi had bolted for a week. But Naruto was an unstoppable force, and Kakashi wasn't the immovable object everyone thought he was. Kakashi's nightmares suddenly made sense, and that was a really bad-

Yamato's brain came to a screeching halt, because Sai was sliding his legs over his thighs with a deadpan straight face, and things could not possibly get any more absurdly weird!

 _"What the hell are you doing?!"_ Yamato demanded, grabbing Sai's arms to keep him from trying to climb any farther onto his lap.

"You asked me to show you," Sai said matter-of-factly, looking slightly confused.

"By DRAWING IT, Sai! Not by demonstrating it!"

"But this is much quicker."

"I don't mind waiting," Yamato grated, clenching his jaw and trying desperately not to come unglued.

Sai shrugged and swung his legs back over the edge of the bench before picking up his sketchbook and pencil. Yamato leaned forward on his elbows and rested his face in his hands, wondering when he was going to wake up from this nightmare.

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," Sai said apologetically. "I was not trying to flirt with you."

"I know," he groaned, resisting the urge to start breaking down into pathetic sobs. "Just talk about something else. Why are you putting Naruto and Kakashi-senpai together based off that one incident?"

"It isn't just the one incident, that was when I first noticed something different. The changes I saw in both of them grew gradually from there, but they were very intent on hiding it, so it was difficult trying to figure out if they were actively going through a courting ritual. There aren't any books that discuss how two men woo each other. I had to draw conclusions from several sources."

"Your choice in source material is questionable from what I saw," Yamato drawled, straightening back up as the sound of pencil on paper stopped.

"Some of it was surprisingly helpful and accurate," Sai said neutrally, holding up the sketch. Yamato's heart stopped as he gaped at the image. "I had thought Kakashi-senpai was unconscious at the time, but when I started to lift Naruto out of his arms he almost killed me. I don't think he remembers it at all."

"Don't tell anyone about this yet, understand?" Yamato ordered, tearing the page out of the book and ignoring the twinge of guilt at Sai's rigid reflexive nod.

He folded the sketch and stuffed it in his pocket as he leaped over the rooftops, fear grinding behind the fury rattling in his chest. Why was he stuck with such an idiotic senpai?! Why the hell hadn't that stubborn moron SAID SOMETHING?! He could have helped! He could have at least been there to listen! Okay, yes, he would have been irate at first, but he would have gotten over it! But so much time had passed, and he knew the way guilt could literally eat away at Kakashi like a fatal sickness. He'd seen it before, and it was a frightening thing to watch.

The stupid man could do such stupid things, changing plans at the last second during a mission to put himself in the greatest danger just so the rest of the squad had a higher chance of survival. Yamato had hated that in ANBU! Every blasted time Kakashi pulled that shit they would have to carry his unconscious ass back to Konoha! Mission accomplished, all squad members accounted for, but where's your commander? Oh, he's in the hospital...AGAIN... That man was far too willing to sacrifice himself for the good of others. Sure, he was selfish with the petty crap, but when it came to the important things he was stepping out into the line of fire with a smile and a shrug before you could blink.

A whisper of killing intent skated across his outstretched senses, and he headed toward it without a second thought. It was muted and coming from the direction of the Jounin training field, and it was utterly absurd thinking Kakashi was out there fighting with someone. Then again, 'absurd' seemed to be the word of the day. He dashed through the trees and cringed at the flash of electricity in the distance, landing just in time to see a pair of ANBU pause at the edge of the barrier. Damn it, he was too late!

"Don't interfere!" Yamato barked at the familiar ANBU agents.

"Sir, our orders-"

"I know why Tsunade-sama sent you," he said stonily as he walked up to them, looking past them to the two men in the open grassy field. "That's why I'm telling you not to interfere. If you jump in there you'll only get yourselves blown away. It won't take long, anyway, just wait it out."

He had no way of knowing if Gai's method was the better choice, and it was futile debating it after the gears had already been set in motion. Stopping it now would destroy everything. His stomach clenched painfully at the state Kakashi was in; beaten and battered, on his knees and looking like he was about to shatter from the words Gai was hurling and shouting at him. He caught the subtle shift in posture of the ANBU on his left, and he bound them both in wooden shackles as he fought the overwhelming urge to stop Gai. If Gai landed that punch Kakashi would die. End of story. And Yamato would be an accomplice to murder. But he had to trust Gai. He had to trust that Gai knew Kakashi just as well, if not better.

Yamato had never felt more relieved and more furious at the sight of his senpai coming unhinged in a defiant moment of madness, and he released the shackles holding the two younger ANBU in place. He was so angry he could beat Kakashi's face in! Why had it taken so much to get him to fight back?! Why couldn't he just be happy with being fucking happy?! Why did he have to do this?! Why couldn't he just...

"How did this happen, senpai?" Yamato asked quietly, fists clenched and trembling at his sides.

"I don't know," Kakashi rasped helplessly.

GOD DAMN HIM! His fist connected with the taller man's eye before he realized it, and it didn't make him feel any better. _Why couldn't that fool just admit it?!_

"Then figure it out!" Yamato hissed, walking past as he headed to where Gai was sitting.

"You're a strict kohai," Gai sighed, shaking his head as Yamato stopped next to him. "That was cruel."

"I don't need to hear that from you," he snapped, glancing over his shoulder as he felt the chakra surge from the departing ANBU. "Come on, I'll take you to the hospital, you're a mess."

"Nope, I'm fine here," Gai chuckled wearily, waving Yamato's offered hand away. "Naruto will be along eventually, and I'd rather he found me here than in the hospital."

"You really think senpai will tell him?" Yamato asked in surprise as he eased himself to his knees, taking a deep breath to help cool his temper.

"No, but Naruto will figure it out," Gai smiled fondly, wincing a bit as Yamato maneuvered his shoulder back into its socket and locked it in with a wood brace.

"You're probably right," he snorted, aligning Gai's knee so he could brace it as well. "Which means we're both in for an ass-kicking."

"I earned it," Gai smirked, then frowned briefly. "Shouldn't you at least return to the Hokage Tower to report in?"

"I didn't come with those two, I just happened upon them as they arrived here," Yamato shrugged, folding his legs and leaning back on his arms.

"Then how did you find out? Surely the news hasn't begun to spread that swiftly through the general populace."

"Some of the general populace already know what's been going on," Yamato grumbled, pulling the sketch out of his pocket and unfolding it. "I ran into Sai today. This is how he found them when he went to bring them back from Naruto's undercover mission."

There was a significant pause as Gai ogled the sketch, tears pooling in his eyes as he bit his lip. "We should frame it," Gai said with a watery smile.

"We should burn it!" Yamato retorted, snatching the paper back before Gai could grab it from him. "If Kakashi-senpai finds out we have this he'll do more than just rip out tendons."

"True, but it would be worth it to see his expression," Gai grinned. "Besides, if we give it to Naruto he'd put it up on his wall. Somewhere in a prominent position where anyone who walks through the door can see it right away."

"He probably would," Yamato laughed, tucking the paper back into his pocket. He fell quiet for a few minutes, looking out at the horizon. "Is it okay like this? I mean, they're not going to be ostracized, but there's certainly going to be hardship."

"After all the hardship they've both faced their entire lives, do you really think this will defeat them?"

"No, I suppose not," Yamato chuckled. "It'd be awful nice if my stupid senpai would stop resisting, though."

"It's in his nature to resist love," Gai sighed sadly. "Too many precious loved ones have been torn away from him."

"Then he's a fool twice over for falling for Naruto," he said dryly.

"Indeed," Gai smiled. "Naruto will never let him go. His heart already belongs to Kakashi, and not Heaven or Hell will stop him from returning to where his heart is."

Time passed in a comfortable silence as they waited, and it was much faster than Yamato expected when a flash of golden light solidified into a dreadfully familiar form in front of them. The fact that it was a clone made the power radiating off of him all the more chilling as Yamato was reminded of just how strong Naruto was. And he was _livid._ He didn't come for answers or apologies. He was there because they had essentially beat the shit out of the man he loved, and that was all there was to it.

Gai pushed himself to his feet without help, standing a bit unbalanced but completely unafraid in the face of that wrath, and Yamato stood staunchly beside him as his accomplice. It occurred to Yamato that he would have felt less afraid deep down if there had been some scrap of killing intent and bloodlust coming from the clone. But there was only silence and anger without malice as his Biju Mode cloak faded, leaving Naruto's gold eyes shadowed with the orange of Sennin Mode. Yamato didn't flinch at the crunching sound of Gai's ribs, but he pitied the man for his pain.

...I will not dodge my guilt, and I will accept my punishment without wavering...

The last thing he heard was the cracking of his own jawbone, and he almost smiled as consciousness fled him.

...Hokage-sama...

* * *

**Sakura**

To say that Sakura was put out by the fact that she hadn't been clued into whoever Naruto was dating - and holy shit SLEEPING WITH - would be a gross understatement. To a lesser degree of resentment, but much greater astonishment, was later hearing that _Kakashi_ might even be seeing someone. She was busy with the hospital a lot, but she still made a point to try to catch up with her teammates whenever she was out and about. THEY COULD HAVE SAID SOMETHING, DAMN IT! Then again...she probably should have noticed something and dragged it out of them herself...

All in all, she was actually feeling more worried than anything, which was only sparking her ire. Back when Naruto had gone on his first date with Hinata, there had been a lingering hint of jealousy within her. It was a bittersweet remnant of the past, and it had been surprising for her to discover it. She had been so accustomed to Naruto being goofy only for her, that it was hard to see it disappear. But at the same time she was so happy to watch it vanish, because that meant Naruto was finally free of his crush on her and she was free of the sorrow of knowing she'd never be able to reciprocate that crush.

Tsunade had taken her out and poured sake down her throat that night, and they'd both laughed and cried and swapped stories about their separate trials and tribulations with Jiraiya and Naruto. It felt like she could breathe easier after that, and she settled into the comfortable position of 'sister' to Naruto with gusto. Looking back on it, she had to laugh. The only thing that had changed between them was the absence of him nagging at her to go on a date. They were still the same, and they were still friends. Maybe even better friends now that she could show more affection to him without worrying about whether or not he'd take it the wrong way.

Sakura tucked a lock of hair behind her ear with a nostalgic smile as she walked quickly into the Hokage Tower, the medical research files she'd forgotten to place on the Hokage's desk that morning held loosely at her chest. Her smile faded as her thoughts drifted back to their original course, and she scowled thoughtfully. It irked her to no end that she didn't know who Naruto had slept with, and that anger had nothing to do with jealousy. The problem wasn't that he was having sex. Goodness knows he was old enough for that. The problem was that he was trying to hide it. Poorly.

He was the type to shout stuff from the rooftops, glowing with joy and cornering everyone he knew to tell them how happy he was. Of course, this meant that the girl Naruto had been with was the one who convinced him to keep quiet. Sakura felt her eye twitch in aggravation. Why was it being kept a secret?! What was there to hide?! It was so completely baffling that she just wanted to start kicking in doors to find answers! She knew it was illogical, but she couldn't help feeling like Naruto was being manipulated into discretion. And by god heads would roll if she found out Naruto had been gullible enough to be taken in by some manipulative harpy!

Shaking her head, she took a deep breath and pushed her temper back as she walked down the hallway. She was being ridiculous. Naruto was Naruto, and he always would be. There had to be a reason for what he was doing, and it would come to light eventually. She just had to wait...and not give in to the desire to beat it out of him the next time she saw him. With that thought firmly in mind, she slipped into Tsunade's office to swiftly drop off the folders in her hand while the Hokage was still at the Mission Assignment Desk. In retrospect, she knew she should have at least kept enough wits about her to have sensed the fact that the Hokage's office wasn't empty.

But she wasn't thinking about her mistake after she'd gasped out an apology. A coil of overwhelming horrified fury was screeching in her ears, muddling everything with confusion as she gaped at Kakashi. He looked like he'd just walked away from a war. WHY THE FUCK WASN'T HE IN THE HOSPITAL?! He looked like a ghost as he turned his gaze toward her to say something she wasn't listening to, and she clutched the folders tight as a malignant undefinable fear snaked its way through her chest. As irrational as it was, her mind halted and literally questioned whether or not the man was still alive.

"What's going on?" Sakura asked, her voice sounding distant in her own ears. Why was Kakashi smiling like he was about to die, _**and he was fucking okay with that!**_

"Sakura, we'll explain later," Shizune said a touch nervously.

...' _explain later'?!_...

Sakura's ears roared with a white-hot rage, just daring the world at large to ATTEMPT to explain why it looked like she'd walked in on a private lynching of _her god damned sensei!_ Oh, yeah, buddy. It was fucking ON! Every inch of her bristled and screamed at Tsunade's words, aghast and beyond furious at the vile attack on Kakashi and the fact that the idiot was just standing there taking it! Her mind flashed to a time not many years ago when Kakashi had been labeled as a rogue nin, sent off to die in order to save the village. It felt too similar, and she instinctively grabbed him to pull him behind her where she could guard him. Oh, god, he was so weak she had to hold him upright, why was Tsunade doing this?! There was no way in hell she was going to stand by and let the same thing happen again!

But suddenly the world started crumbling around her because Tsunade was saying '...this situation involves a former student of yours.' And it was getting hard to think with the denial howling in her head, but she could feel her muscles going slack from shock because she was hearing 'That being said, I will take into account that you are both of legal consenting age, and have not technically been classified as 'sensei' and 'student' for quite some time.' There was no way. There was just no way! There had been no sign that...

Sakura's breath caught in her throat, and her eyes felt as wide as saucers. She could remember it with painful clarity, and it was like the room drifted into a hazy state of nonexistence as she recalled her own words to Naruto while he was in the hospital earlier that year. 'I asked him if he wanted to see you, but he said he'd wait till you were out of the hospital...I think he's still upset with you for getting yourself hurt.' And somewhere in the back of her mind she knew Kakashi had been running away, but she hadn't thought about what he was running from.

She could feel cool gentle fingers prying her hand loose from the grip she had on the front of Kakashi's shirt, and all she could hear was her own voice asking Naruto if he remembered what had happened to him. All she could see were his eyes going wide and unfocused in a wild frenzied panic that just ripped her heart out of her chest. He had gasped and choked and pulled his lips back in terror and rage as his nails tore into his own shirt, whispering, hissing, snarling, and screaming. 'He's after Kakashi...they'll cage him and kill him... _ **I**_ _ **can't let him touch Kakashi**_ _._ _..they'll take him away from me..._ _ **I won't...I WON'T LET YOU HAVE HIM, HE'S MINE!'**_

She had understood that it had been a nightmare for him out there, and had slapped him back to reality and held him till he stopped crying. She had never considered the idea that his words were anything more than what he might have said in the same situation with anyone else who was important to him. Naruto was Naruto, overprotective and viciously defensive of those he held closest to himself. Kakashi was one of those people, and she hadn't thought anything about it.

"...sensei...?" Sakura heard herself whisper, trying to process all of it, trying to remember when things had changed.

When had this started? Why hadn't she seen it start? It had to have been this year some time. There had been nothing odd between them at the beginning of the year, she was sure of that! When had Naruto stopped calling Kakashi 'sensei'? When had he...when had they...

"I'm sorry," Kakashi said quietly with a sad smile crinkling the corner of his eye, and Sakura felt her heart seize up as time seemed to freeze and swallow her.

Wait, why was he apologizing? Why did it feel like she was never going to see him again? Wait, just wait a minute! Why hadn't they said anything to her?! Why was this happening?! Why was... She blinked and looked around. Wait, where did he go? The familiar heat of anger shook her out of her stunned thoughts, and she spun on her heel to run for the door. WHY THE HELL WAS THAT IDIOT BURNING CHAKRA HE DIDN'T HAVE! She was going to beat the living daylights out of him for being stupid enough to add to his own injuries like that!

 _"Let him go!"_ Tsunade shouted, her tone bringing Sakura to a halt before she reached the door.

Sakura whirled around and unleashed her temper in a furious wave of chakra that rattled the windows, killing intent snapping at her skin, all sharp fangs and claws. _"HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO HIM!"_

"He should have listened to me the first time I told him to go straight home," Tsunade replied calmly, stepping over to the window. "He doesn't have to make it very far, Naruto's only three blocks down the street. I assume that's an acceptable compromise for you?" She asked, lifting an eyebrow as she turned around and pulled a few papers from the top drawer of her desk.

"What compromise?!" Sakura spat. "He should be in the hospital, he's barely standing on his own feet!"

"Then I suggest you start putting together a home care kit for him, because the hospital is not where he's going to be spending the next several days," Tsunade said, making a few notations on the papers and signing them before handing them to Shizune. "Make sure you file these on your way to the Mission Assignment Desk. I'll be in Archives, and I don't want to be disturbed unless it's an emergency."

"Shishou!" Sakura grated, clenching her fists and trying to bite back her frustration at Tsunade's suspiciously calm demeanor.

"Tsunade-sama...I don't understand..." Shizune said, reading the papers in confusion.

"Honestly, the both of you are being impossible," Tsunade huffed with a scowl, setting one hand on her hip. "What's not to understand? They're the right forms and I signed them properly."

"But...you only docked Kakashi-san a day's wages..." Shizune said hesitantly.

"I said I'd dock his pay, I never said how much," Tsunade shrugged.

"And this?" Shizune asked, holding up the second paper and looking more baffled than ever.

"Naruto sent that request for leave while he was in Iwa," she said, flicking her fingers and walking toward the door. "Now that he's back in Konoha he can start his four week vacation today."

"Shishou, how long have you known?" Sakura asked quietly, unable to hold onto her anger with all the astonishment crowding her head.

"Onigawara," Tsunade called, opening the door and pausing at the threshold. "Oh, right, I almost forgot. Shizune, assuming Iruka doesn't die of a stroke when he finds out, send him down to Archives with tea and a tray of snacks. I want to get this investigation over with and have the results filed for public inquiry by tomorrow morning. Not that I expect to find a single thing, but I need to be thorough for posterity, so we'll probably be up all night." She paused and looked toward the windows. "Thank you for being so quick."

"Hokage-sama," Onigawara said with a bow as he floated up through the floor next to the desk.

"Tell these two what you told me the day that ridiculous family showed up demanding Naruto's hand in marriage," Tsunade smirked, then stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her.

Sakura stared at the door for a long moment, then looked at Shizune before settling her gaze on Onigawara's painted mask as he began to speak.

"The first incident occurred when Kakashi-senpai's chakra system was still unstable from the effects of his poisoning, while I was assigned to guard him at night..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Friends don't always do the right thing, and sometimes they make you angry enough to spit nails, but they mean well. Sometimes it takes a friend to kick you in the ass to get you on the right track. Other times they're the ones to catch you before you fall or drag you back to your feet whether you like it or not. That's why they're there, and that's why we love them. =)


	14. Kiba

Kiba trudged down the street, feeling off-balance and completely out of sorts. There was no way this was happening. Not really ACTUALLY happening in the sense that it wasn't some huge joke, but real reality! He'd only just returned to Konoha an hour ago with Tenten and Hinata, the three of them scrambling to get back from a mission that had taken a day longer than expected just so they could make it in time to crash Naruto's birthday party. AND _**THIS**_ WAS WHAT THEY'D COME HOME TO?! All of his plans to bully information out of Naruto were dashed, because that idiot was-

Kiba shook his head fiercely, not wanting to think about the thing that made his skin crawl and his stomach turn sour and his blood boil in his ears because it was not a fucking joke this time! He felt gross and twitchy, his brain running in a constant loop of suspicion and betrayal as he re-thought every moment he could recall that he'd ever been smiled at, or come in physical contact with Naruto or Kakashi. Neither of them had EVER given a sign - and being from the Inuzaka Clan meant Kiba was quite good at reading body language, thank you very much! - that their preferences were anything but normal! Well...admittedly, Kakashi might as well have been neutered with the kind of reactions he gave to anyone, but that still fell into the same category of "NOT GAY".

Huffing out a frustrated snort, he shoved his hands in his pockets and kicked at a small pebble. Had they both been hiding it the entire time? Locking it all away and secretly indulging their perverse desires with whatever small contact they could get without being found out? Shuddering and swallowing back the urge to spit out the bitter taste in his mouth that only made his stomach curdle and twist uncomfortably, he clenched his fists and hunched his shoulders as he walked aggressively forward.

No, that couldn't be right. He didn't want it to be right, because every instinct in his body was screaming 'WRONG'! Naruto was too stupid and too open to hide something like that. Up until a few years ago the blonde's crush on Sakura had been unwavering and genuine. Hell, Kiba could practically smell it on Naruto every time he had been near the kunoichi, which had only made Hinata's infatuation all the more troublesome and painful to deal with. On the other hand, Kakashi would have been able to-

Kiba's stomach clenched and rage howled in his ears as he kicked viciously at the dirt road to scatter dust and pebbles in a wide arc in front of him. Kakashi wouldn't do that! He was a god damned SENSEI! Sensei's don't do that! Akamaru's heavy bulk leaned into his hip, and he could feel the dog's soft whine urging him to calm down as he absently scratched behind Akamaru's neck. Okay, Naruto was an idiotic fruitcake to begin with, and was just too dumb to accept the fact that there had to be limits to how unpredictable he could be.

But Kakashi wasn't. Kakashi was the kind of aggravating genius that blew everyone out of the water when he WASN'T trying. He was feared, and respected, and one of the strongest shinobi Kiba had ever known, and damn it he had looked up to the man as a fellow ninken-trainer, and trusted him, AND HE WAS NOT A FUCKING PUFF! He was not one of those creepy old perverts that sometimes haunted the hot springs, 'accidentally' bumping into him as they reached for a towel or a drink!

He WAS NOT the reason Iruka had given their class that god-awful lecture on ethics and relationships being forbidden between Genin and Jounin; the one where he made sure everyone was paying strict attention to him by throwing shuriken at the desk of anyone who so much as looked away from him while he spoke. There was just no possible way that Naruto was-

Kiba shuddered and scratched the unpleasant goose-bumps on his arms, ignoring the insistent pressure of Akamaru's shoulder against his side as the dog's whine pitched down in irritation to a subtle growl. Naruto was stupid, but he wasn't THAT stupid. He was gullible, but he wasn't THAT gullible. He was obsessive about keeping the people he cared about close to him, but he wasn't THAT obsessed! That was just going too far, and there was absolutely positively NO WAY Kakashi was-

"-banging his own student!"

Kiba froze, his entire body going ramrod stiff as all thoughts were cleared away. All sounds ceased except for the slurred voice of a drunk stranger stumbling out of a doorway behind him, and the hushed vibration of Akamaru's growling against his hip.

"Oh boy, you've had too much to drink, you need to stop-"

"I mean...what kind of twisted fucked-up shit is that?!"

Kiba felt like he was standing in a dark hallway, the silence shrieking in his head. The staggering footsteps echoed as the two men crossed the street, one actually voicing the words he had been fighting back. Fighting back because it was revolting. Fighting back because it was disgusting. Fighting back...

"Hiromi! Knock it off, you shouldn't be saying-"

"That Naruto's a tough kid, though. I bet he takes it like a champ-"

...because HE was despicable! The silence screamed louder without the stranger's voice spitting out the hateful vile words that his own mind fought against and swallowed down to churn his stomach. Fighting, _fighting,_ _ **fighting back because those were**_ _ **HIS**_ _ **GOD DAMN FRIENDS!**_ They would risk their lives for him! They DID risk their lives! Again and again, they just darted out there and GAVE their lives up for HIM! _FOR EVERYONE! EVEN THIS WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT DRUNK MOTHERFUCKER_ _**THAT HE WAS**_ _ **TRYING TO KILL IF SHIKAMARU WOULD STOP INTERFERING WITH THAT STUPID-ASS JUTSU OF HIS**_ _ **!**_

"Kiba-kun, stop it!" Hinata's voice broke through the silent roaring in his head, and suddenly the putrid stench of that bastard's wheezing breath was blocked by the soft cool scent of her hair as she got between them and pushed back on his chest.

 _"No one..."_ Kiba growled lowly, blinking as his peripheral vision expanded beyond the bugging eyes of the man he was no longer trying to choke, but still WANTING to choke so much his muscles howled against the hold of Shikamaru's Shadow Bind Jutsu and Akamaru's teeth clamped and pulling on his forearm.

"Kiba! Step back and let him go! _Now!"_ Shikamaru ordered.

 _"No one gets to talk shit about my friends except **me**!"_ Kiba snarled as his feet flinched reflexively back at Shikamaru's command, never taking his enraged gaze from his target and flashing his sharp teeth in a feral grin.

He felt liberated. Just saying one sentence to one drunk that probably wouldn't even remember it made him feel like he had just taken on the world and won. He let his arms drop while his fingers twitched and ached to be wrapped around that asshole's throat again, stumbling back as Hinata and Akamaru bullied him across the street where they could pen him in against the wall of a building. The idea of complaining at their somewhat rough treatment was fleeting, because the hairs on his arms were still standing up and his nerves were still rattling with adrenaline and killing intent. They knew him well. They knew him best. Tilting his chin, he gave the air a sniff and smirked.

"You're late for the party, Shino," he taunted, barking out a laugh that sounded too wild and malicious in his own ears.

"You are the one who's late for the party," Shino retorted coolly, dropping down from the rooftop and sliding his hands in his pockets. "Which is why we came looking for you in the first place."

"Took you long enough," Kiba snorted. "You're losing your touch."

"I arrived first," Shino said, glancing over his shoulder at where Shikamaru was talking with the two men.

Kiba bristled, tensing up and clenching his fists as he strained against Akamaru's formidable bulk shoving itself against the front of his legs while Hinata's grip on his shoulder never relaxed. He wanted to tear into the stoic bug-tamer for not doing anything! For leaving him to ALMOST have the blood of a civilian on his hands! ...almost... Narrowing his eyes, he turned his gaze to the drunk getting hauled to his unsteady feet by his companion. The man's eyes were wide and focused with fear, and he looked pale and sick, scratching randomly at himself as he hobbled away with his arm slung over his friend's shoulder.

"Your bugs are leeching..." Kiba trailed off, giving Shino a disturbed look.

"Alcohol," Shino stated. "That's because I wish to raise the percentages of that person's chances of remembering very clearly what transpired here tonight. It would be a shame to waste your efforts in teaching him a lesson, even if your barbaric methods were reckless and excessively violent."

"Says the guy who could have _prevented_ it," Shikamaru drawled in irritation, stepping up to them and crossing his arms with a heavy sigh as he gave Kiba a weary dark look. "Are you seriously going to make us baby-sit you?"

"That bastard had it coming!" Kiba snapped, then gave a grumbling sigh of defeat and looked away. "Alright, I know, I know! It won't happen again."

"Promise," Hinata said softly, digging her fingers into Kiba's shoulder and her elbow into his collarbone as she looked up at him with steely watery eyes.

"Okay, yeah, I promise," Kiba responded immediately, cringing inside at the surreal way his brain was so easily interpreting Hinata's expression as both a real threat and a desperate plea.

She sagged back on her heels with a relieved smile as she let go of him to wrap her arms around herself, and Kiba bit back the urge to scold her for being so trusting and soft. Akamaru, however, wasn't so easily convinced. The big dog remained glued to his side with his ears slightly pinned back as they continued down the street, shoulders rolling and legs stiff with alert displeasure. Crap, his mom was going to be pissed if she saw them walk through the front door like that, and he was going to get strips torn out of him even if she didn't know what had actually happened.

Thankfully, he had some time to let Akamaru and himself cool off while they were at Ichiraku. Several weeks ago the whole group of them had made plans to celebrate Naruto's birthday there, and after everything blew up when the blonde had returned home, they all agreed to just keep the plans and get together without Naruto. Kiba pulled out a chair at one of the tables set up outside the ramen shop for the occasion, spinning it around and flopping onto the seat so he could sulk forward against the back of the chair.

Nearly everyone was there, and any questioning glances tossed his way were answered with a non-committal shrug. Tsunade's piercing glare, however, he downright shrank away from and tried to use the back of the chair as a shield. Grumbling about not needing baby-sitters as Shikamaru and Hinata took seats at his empty table, he rolled his eyes and sighed at their lame excuses while he rapped his fingernail on the rim of the steaming cup of tea Ayame set in front of him. He made no other complaints, and he would never admit that he felt a little better having them there to keep an eye on him.

Although it had begun as a simple toast to the absent birthday-boy, prompted by Tsunade, it was Lee who turned it into an extremely awkward and heated debate. All glasses had been raised at the Hokage's call:

"To Naruto! That brat has turned the village upside-down yet again, and I bet he's pleased as punch about it. I'm going to work his ass off when he gets back on duty, but for now I suppose I can wish him happiness today...and for the years to come."

"Oh, that's absolutely right!" Lee shouted exuberantly, his face slightly flushed and his eyes burning intensely as he stood up to raise his glass and clench his other fist close to his chest. "May Naruto-kun always find happiness with Kakashi-sensei as their youthful hearts burn with the passionate flames of love! And may they have many beautiful children together in the years to come!"

There was a tense moment of dead silence as everyone froze, broken a few seconds later by the tinkling sound of something small and metal dropping to the ground.

"Huh...so you really can hear a pin drop," Sai said thoughtfully.

Ino, who happened to be seated next to the pale young man, instantly whirled on him and kicked him under the table for stealing one of her hair pins. Tenten recovered at about the same time, cracking her fist over the top of Lee's head for being an idiot, and Kiba just set his cup down so he could cover his ears and pretend he couldn't hear the uproar. Lee stolidly defended his position because Naruto and Kakashi were officially a couple, and there was nothing wrong with him wishing them all the joys in life that he would wish for any of his friends.

Tenten's frustrated retort that the pair were never going to 'have beautiful children together' because they were both men only brought Lee back to his feet in indignant outrage at how completely unfair that statement was. They could do anything they wanted, and Lee scolded Tenten for being so closed-minded. Whether Sai's calmly pleasant intrusion on the debate was a deliberate ploy to stir things up even more, or it was just Sai being weird, Kiba didn't know or care. All he was desperately attempting to focus on was crushing his ears so he could block out the sounds as Sai's seemingly random comment about Naruto being a toad sage brought on a lot of yelling and confusion.

...and then Shino 'helpfully' explained how some species of frogs were capable of physically changing between male or female when they were in an environment populated by only one sex. Silence reigned again for a brief moment until Ino smacked Sai's hand before he could swipe another one of her hair pins, and started shouting that Naruto did not change into a frog when he went into Sennin Mode! He was a HUMAN MALE! Of course, this didn't deter Lee one bit, and he continued to insist that the two men had every right to a family, just like anyone else.

Kiba groaned and started banging his forehead against the back of the chair, willing the crazy to stop. He felt more than heard Shikamaru's supremely heavy sigh as the Nara youth sagged onto his elbow on the table and started to complain to Sakura about stepping in and ending the ridiculous conversation. It was the fact that Shikamaru didn't finish his sentence that drew Kiba's attention. It was the distantly calculating thoughtful expression on Sakura's face that had him shivering in dread for reasons he couldn't even comprehend. It was the slow smile and sharp devious glint in her eyes as she downed her cup of tea before standing up and walking off toward the hospital that had him just wanting to scurry under the table and HIDE.

Slouching forward, he gave up. It was all Naruto's fault, and the idiot wasn't even there. A chuckle escaped him, and soon he found himself laughing at the absurdity of it all. Hinata's light touch on his arm brought his head up, and he shook his head with a shrug at her concerned gaze. Flopping his arms over the back of the chair, he rested his chin on his forearm and grinned at Hinata and Shikamaru.

"I honestly can't even imagine what Naruto's reaction to this...'conversation' would be," he laughed, flicking his fingers at the continuing debate.

"It would be _loud,"_ Shikamaru drawled, propping his chin on his palm.

"Very true," Kiba snerked.

"Lee-kun's heart is in the right place," Hinata smiled softly, lacing her fingers around her cup of tea. "He's just caught in arguing a misunderstanding. Naruto-kun and Kakashi-sensei deserve a happy life and a family, however they decide to create one."

"So, you're okay with all of this?" Kiba asked, trying and failing to keep the slight edge out of his voice.

Hinata paused and looked down at her tea, her smile faltering before she took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders.

"I won't say that I'm not disappointed that I couldn't be what Naruto-kun needed," she said, lifting her chin as the smile returned with a sad shadow to it. "But I've had a few years to be able to understand that and accept it. It still hurts, but it's a good kind of hurt. I'm truly happy that they've both found joy, even though I never thought they'd find it with each other," she said nervously, darting her gaze away as her cheeks turned pink. "And that's okay, isn't it? Being happy that they're happy together is a good thing. They're still our precious friends, and that will never change."

Kiba grunted a begrudging noise of rebellious acceptance, not trusting his mouth to say anything remotely appropriate.

"You're going to have to get over it sooner or later. Just accept it, Kiba," Shikamaru said wryly. "You obviously aren't his type."

Kiba jerked upright and opened his mouth to deliver some seriously venomous retorts. Except his brain stalled on the first thing that he was about to say, and he clamped his mouth shut as he fixed Shikamaru's lazy amused eyes with a withering glare. Gripping the back of the chair, he growled in aggravation as his mind stumbled and clawed its way out of the confusion he'd piled on himself when the phrase 'What the hell is that supposed to mean?!' first popped into his head.

"Good!" Kiba huffed, snatching up his tea to distract himself before glowering at Hinata's quiet snickering.

"Well, one thing's for sure," Shikamaru chuckled, holding out his own cup. "When Naruto becomes Hokage, his reign of terror will never be boring."

 _"If_ he becomes Hokage," Kiba grumbled petulantly, raising his glass as well.

"Whatever makes you feel better," Shikamaru shrugged with an amused grin.

"Kiss my ass! I'll be Hokage before he will!"

"Cheers!" Hinata laughed and added her cup to the others with the delicate clinking of ceramic.


	15. Maia

**Epilogue:**

**Maia**

Maia eased herself down to the bench beneath the shade of the gnarled old tree in the open garden, setting her small basket of flowers next to her with a grateful sigh as she wiggled her toes out of her zori a bit. The relief it gave her sore feet was instantaneous, and her eyelids drifted down as she sagged back in pleasure, idly caressing the top of her swollen belly. It was the height of spring, and the winds were only just beginning to warm up. She would have an early summer child. The thought sent a giddy rush of warmth, excitement and delight through her for several reasons, not the least of which was knowing the tiny person she was carrying would be round and fat and wriggling energetically by the time the harsh mountain winter set in.

...speaking of energetic wriggling...

She allowed herself an amused and somewhat exasperated chuckle at her niece's clumsy enthusiasm as the 10 year-old skipped and giggled and darted from one end of the garden to the other with inexhaustible fervor. She smiled and shook her head, smoothing the front of her kimono as she watched the young girl. Her eldest brother had raised a properly wild little thing. Kayo was as tough as nails and free as a bird, but the child's steps were as surefooted as a cat and Maia knew she needn't worry about scolding the girl for fear she would fall and tear her kimono.

Maia's smile softened in nostalgia as she watched her niece. Stretching her shoulders back, she shifted on the bench to settle herself more comfortably before pulling out the small silk bag tucked into the front of her obi. Rubbing her thumb over the lumpy contents, she tilted her head and gazed at Kayo as she tried to picture her as a young woman. Of course she knew her thoughts strayed to comparing her niece's bright open smile, mischievous naivete, and innate indelicate grace with 'Nina' from four years ago because of the object in her hand, but she also couldn't deny the similarities.

Shaking her head with a laugh, she laced her fingers in the strings of the small pouch and gave herself a half-hearted scolding for comparing her niece to a young man who had been pretending to be a woman. That devious little scamp had done one heck of a good job, though, and she couldn't bring herself to feel guilty over the thoughts. Naruto had risked everything - his masculinity included - to protect them from those horrible people. Looking down at the plain silk bag resting in the palm of her hand, she hugged her belly and silently thanked every one of the shinobi who had worked so hard at deceiving everyone for the sake of keeping them safe.

"Oba-chan?" Kayo asked softly, gingerly placing her little hands on Maia's stomach.

"Ah, I fell asleep with my eyes open again, didn't I," Maia sighed with light humor, smiling at her niece's wide dark green eyes and reaching out to comb the tangles from Kayo's mop of unruly black hair. It would be such a relief when the girl's hair finally got long enough to pin up or braid.

"There's a man here who wants to talk to you, Oba-chan," Kayo said, weathering the treatment patiently and only wincing a bit as one particularly stubborn knot refused to be smoothed out.

"Oh? Who is- Ah! Kakashi-san!" Maia gave the tall man standing a few paces away a surprised and welcoming smile, scooting her toes back into her zori and bracing her arm against the back of the bench in preparation for the ridiculously awkward task of just standing up.

"No, no, no, please don't get up," Kakashi insisted, taking a step forward and waving his hands somewhat nervously.

"Don't be silly, I've been sitting long enough," she scoffed, rolling her eyes at herself as she maneuvered to find the proper leverage to get her unwieldy body to cooperate. Suddenly there was an arm bracing her back, and the next thing she knew she was on her feet gripping a handful of material that felt hardy and thick in comparison to the silk and cotton she wrapped herself in every day. "Oh, goodness, thank you, Kakashi-san," she blinked, letting go of his sleeve as he stepped back. Somewhere in the back of her mind it felt like he had almost flinched away, and she reflexively ducked her head in apology. "You didn't have to trouble yourself, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"Ah, no, it's not you, it's...me," he replied, scratching the back of his head and giving a subtle shrug.

"Hmm...well, you're going to have to conquer that at some point," Maia said with an amused smile and a meaningful look, holding out her hand so the small purse dangled from her fingers. "I wasn't expecting to see you so soon after I sent that message."

"Luck was on my side this time," Kakashi chuckled, taking the little bag with a bow. "Thank you for all your help, Maia-san, I know it wasn't easy finding the particular color I was after."

"I'm sorry it took me three years to get it for you," she said, then tilted her head and arched an eyebrow as she looked up at the man. "So, when is the wedding?"

"You and Ino have become far too close," Kakashi drawled, sliding his hands in his pockets.

"I expect to be invited."

"You're going to be waiting a very long time."

"Eloping is not an option, Kakashi-san," Maia scolded. "Now come down here so I can wish you luck properly. Honestly, I don't remember you being this tall when you first arrived here."

"It was good seeing you again, Maia-san, and congratulations," he said kindly, bending over so the petite woman could give his masked cheek a peck.

"You will tell Naruto-kun what that stone is," she scowled, doing her best to cross her arms over her belly.

"Take care of yourself, Maia-san," Kakashi chuckled, turning to leave.

"Kakashi-san! He's going to think it's a topaz!"

"Probably," he said, his eye crinkling with an inappropriate abundance of amusement at the highly serious topic.

And then he was gone. Vanished completely before Maia could get another word out, and she stomped her foot in aggravation. Why did men have to be such fools?! As much as she wanted to, she knew she'd never divulge the details of Kakashi's request in her frequent letters to Ino. But that was all right, because she knew that the moment Naruto showed that stone off after it had been cut and set into what she HOPED was a proper gold ring, the jig would be up. Walking back to the ryokan with Kayo bouncing beside her in a frenzy of curiosity, she wondered just how long she'd have to wait for that invitation.

Three years later, when she sat down to read the hasty excited scrawl of Naruto's letter and glanced into the second sealed envelope the small toad had brought, she laughed and looked down at the little bump her belly was making beneath her obi. Kakashi may have the patience of a mountain, but Naruto was a storm of eagerness. She really had wanted to be there for his initiation ceremony as the Rokudaime Hokage, but the trip was simply too hard in her condition. Well, at least she wouldn't have to wait too much longer for her invitation, and she was determined to get them an absurdly extravagant wedding gift for all the excessive money they were giving her to shop on their behalf.

It was lucky for her that she'd found a perfectly wonderful husband from the traveling merchant family she'd worked with to fill Kakashi's request, so it would be easy to send out a letter to her father-in-law with the picture Naruto had provided. Granted, it wouldn't be easy finding a quality sapphire the EXACT color of Naruto's eyes, but it wouldn't be nearly as difficult as finding a vivid orange diamond the color of tangerines.

* * *

**END**

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *blows kisses to everyone!* =D
> 
> Oh! About that picture that Sai drew... Unfortunately, I don't have a reference, it's just an image in my head. If I had any talent in drawing, I'd sketch it out. But I'm not even going to try, because that would simply destroy everything...and probably give you nightmares. XD


End file.
